Nigerian faces 47 years in jail for $819,000 US fraud

A suspect

A France-based Nigerian, Chukwuemeka Victor Amachukwu, is facing up to 47 years’ imprisonment following his extradition to the United States of America for his alleged involvement in wire fraud, hacking, and identity theft that resulted in losses of $819,000 to victims.

PUNCH Metro learnt from a statement by the US Department of Justice on Tuesday that Amachukwu was extradited on Monday and arraigned on Tuesday before a US Magistrate Court.

According to the statement, in 2019, Amachukwu, along with other conspirators, allegedly hacked into “US-based tax preparation businesses—including several businesses located in New York, Texas, and other states—by utilising spearphishing emails to obtain access to these businesses’ electronic systems.”

The statement noted that after gaining unauthorised access, the suspects allegedly stole the identities of several individuals, which were then used to file fraudulent tax returns with the US Internal Revenue Service. Punch