A Nigerian man, Festus Anyiam, has been convicted by a federal jury in the United States for stealing government funds and laundering money obtained through a fraudulent tax refund scheme that exploited stolen identities. The 41-year-old, who resides in Norcross, Georgia, was found guilty on June 5, 2024, after a one-week trial in which he was charged with four counts of theft of government funds and one count of money laundering. The conviction marks a significant win for U.S. authorities combating financial fraud and identity theft.
According to the Department of Justice, the scheme involved using stolen personally identifiable information (PII) from taxpayers in Illinois and Missouri to file fraudulent tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). These fake returns were used to request tax refunds, which the IRS then sent to a third-party tax software company. The funds were subsequently transferred to prepaid debit cards activated using the identities of unsuspecting victims.
Mr. Anyiam used these debit cards to make purchases at retail stores across Atlanta between June and July 2015. He then withdrew hundreds of thousands of dollars from ATMs and deposited the stolen funds into his personal bank account. To conceal the origin of the money, he purchased a $406,000 cashier’s cheque and transferred it to another account under his control.
U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg emphasized that Anyiam attempted to hide his criminal activity by converting stolen refunds into money orders before depositing them into accounts he controlled. “This defendant’s actions represent a brazen theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent tax refund payments,” Hertzberg stated. He added that his office remains committed to pursuing individuals who exploit the U.S. tax system.
William Steenson, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s St. Louis Field Office, called the verdict a victory for the U.S. tax system. He stressed that the outcome sends a clear message to potential criminals: “No matter how many steps a thief takes to hide their ill-gotten gains, our special agents will track them down and bring them to justice.”
Anyiam is scheduled to be sentenced on September 10, 2026, before Judge Mark H. Cohen of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. He faces up to 10 years in prison for each theft count and up to 20 years for money laundering. The court may consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which offer advisory ranges for sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation, and the case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sekret T. Sneed and Daniel Grill. This conviction underscores ongoing efforts to combat financial crimes and protect taxpayer funds from fraudsters operating across borders. As global financial systems become more interconnected, cases like this highlight the importance of vigilance and international cooperation in law enforcement.
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