Nigerian national Chukwuemeka Amachukwu sentenced to 8 years for hacking tax firms, tax fraud and fake investment scheme
A 40-year-old Nigerian national, Chukwuemeka Victor Amachukwu, was sentenced to eight years in prison by a US federal court for a 2019-2023 scheme that combined hacking of US tax preparation businesses, filing of fraudulent tax returns and fake investment fraud. He used identities stolen from victim organizations to file false returns with federal and state authorities, and lured victims into sending money for investments that did not exist. He was arrested in France in July 2023, extradited in August 2025 and pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to commit computer intrusions and wire fraud. The court ordered about $3.65 million in restitution and about $10.85 million in forfeiture. Prosecutors said the conspiracy obtained more than $7 million from fraudulent investment schemes, about $2.5 million from fraudulent tax returns and $819,000 from fraudulent Small Business Administration Economic Injury Disaster Loan payouts.
Technical Details
- Amachukwu, co-conspirator Kingsley Uchelue Utulu and other Nigeria-based co-conspirators stole tax and personal data of at least 800 business customers from tax businesses in New York, Texas and elsewhere.
- In May 2021, the group sent a spearphishing email to an employee of a New York-based tax preparation firm, which infected the firm's systems with malware. The article does not name the malware.
- The FBI, the DOJ Office of International Affairs and the US Marshals Service assisted the investigation.
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Nigerian national Chukwuemeka Amachukwu sentenced to 8 years for hacking tax firms, tax fraud and fake investment scheme
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A 40-year-old Nigerian national, Chukwuemeka Victor Amachukwu, was sentenced to eight years in prison by a US federal court for a 2019-2023 scheme that combined hacking of US tax preparation businesses, filing of fraudulent tax returns and fake investment fraud. He used identities stolen from victim organizations to file false returns with federal and state authorities, and lured victims into sending money for investments that did not exist. He was arrested in France in July 2023, extradited in August 2025 and pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to commit computer intrusions and wire fraud. The court ordered about $3.65 million in restitution and about $10.85 million in forfeiture. Prosecutors said the conspiracy obtained more than $7 million from fraudulent investment schemes, about $2.5 million from fraudulent tax returns and $819,000 from fraudulent Small Business Administration Economic Injury Disaster Loan payouts.
Technical Details
- Amachukwu, co-conspirator Kingsley Uchelue Utulu and other Nigeria-based co-conspirators stole tax and personal data of at least 800 business customers from tax businesses in New York, Texas and elsewhere.
- In May 2021, the group sent a spearphishing email to an employee of a New York-based tax preparation firm, which infected the firm's systems with malware. The article does not name the malware.
- The FBI, the DOJ Office of International Affairs and the US Marshals Service assisted the investigation.