A Nigerian national, Matthew A. Akande, has been sentenced to eight years in prison by a U.S. federal court in Boston for orchestrating a cyber fraud scheme that targeted Massachusetts tax preparation firms, resulting in the loss of over $1.3 million to the U.S. government.
The 37-year-old, who had been living in Mexico prior to his arrest, was also ordered to pay $1,393,230 in restitution and to serve three years of supervised release following the completion of his prison term. The sentence was handed down on Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani.
Authorities said Akande’s scheme, conducted between June 2016 and June 2021, involved sending phishing emails to tax preparation firms. The messages, disguised as requests from prospective clients, tricked employees into installing remote-access trojan malware (RAT), including a program known as Warzone RAT.
Once the malware was installed, Akande and his co-conspirators gained access to sensitive personal data, including taxpayers’ personally identifiable information (PII) and prior-year tax records. Using this information, the group filed more than 1,000 fraudulent tax returns, attempting to claim over $8.1 million in refunds. More than $1.3 million of these refunds were successfully deposited into accounts controlled by co-conspirators in the United States, with portions sent to Mexico at Akande’s direction.
According to the Department of Justice, Akande orchestrated a highly organized network that relied on international cooperation to conceal the flow of stolen funds. “The scheme involved stealing taxpayers’ information through phishing attacks and computer intrusions, then directing fraudulent refunds into accounts controlled by his co-conspirators, who transferred portions internationally,” the statement said.
Akande was arrested in October 2024 at London’s Heathrow Airport at the request of U.S. authorities and was extradited to the United States on March 5, 2025. He had been indicted in July 2022 on multiple charges, including conspiracy, wire fraud, unauthorized access to protected computers, theft of government funds, and aggravated identity theft.
“Akande’s actions targeted the personal information of taxpayers and exploited vulnerabilities in tax preparation systems, demonstrating a clear pattern of deliberate cyber-enabled criminal conduct,” prosecutors said.
While the total attempted fraud exceeded $8.1 million, the court noted that the absence of physical harm or fatalities influenced the decision to impose a prison term rather than a more severe penalty. The sentence also serves as a warning to others who might consider using cybercrime to exploit international financial systems.
The case underscores the growing threat of cyber-enabled fraud and the importance of strong cybersecurity practices for financial institutions. U.S. authorities emphasized that tax preparation firms must remain vigilant against phishing and malware attacks and should strengthen training, monitoring, and technical defenses to protect client data.
Following his release from prison, Akande will be subject to three years of supervised release, during which he will face strict restrictions on financial transactions and continuous monitoring by federal authorities.
“The successful prosecution of this case highlights the U.S. government’s commitment to combating cybercrime across borders,” the Department of Justice said. “It also sends a clear message to would-be cybercriminals that sophisticated international fraud schemes will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
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