US Moves to Strip Nigerian of Citizenship Over $91m Tax Fraud

The United States Department of Justice has filed a civil complaint seeking to revoke the citizenship of Nigerian-born Emmanuel Oluwatosin Kazeem over his role in a large-scale identity theft and tax fraud scheme.

The complaint, filed at a U.S. District Court in Baltimore, Maryland, alleges that Kazeem obtained his citizenship through fraud by concealing criminal activities and engaging in immigration violations.

Kazeem was convicted in 2017 on 19 counts, including mail fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. His sentence was later commuted in 2024 after serving about six years.

According to U.S. authorities, his fraudulent activities spanned several years before and after he became a citizen, making him ineligible for naturalisation.

Prosecutors allege that he masterminded a large identity theft operation involving over 259,000 victims, purchasing more than 91,000 stolen identities from a foreign hacker.

The identities were distributed to co-conspirators, who used them to file more than 10,000 fraudulent tax returns between 2012 and 2015, seeking over $91 million in refunds.

Investigators said at least $11.6 million was successfully obtained through the scheme, with funds channelled via prepaid debit cards and over $2.1 million transferred to Nigeria through numerous wire transactions.

Authorities further alleged that Kazeem used proceeds from the fraud to fund a lavish lifestyle, including significant real estate purchases and an attempted investment in a multi-million-dollar hotel project in Lagos.

The complaint also accused him of entering into a sham marriage to secure permanent residency before contracting another marriage, further breaching U.S. immigration laws.

Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate stated that the government is committed to ensuring that individuals who obtained citizenship through fraud are held accountable.

The case is being handled by the Department of Justice’s immigration litigation unit, and if successful, could result in Kazeem being stripped of his U.S. citizenship.

The development forms part of a broader enforcement effort by U.S. authorities to address fraud and maintain the integrity of the naturalisation process.