ERIE, Pa. – In a brazen identity theft scheme, five individuals from around the US have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Erie, Pennsylvania, on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
The 13-count superseding indictment, returned on April 8, 2014, names Doherty Kushimo, 52, of Providence, Rhode Island; Saburi Adeyemi, 56, of Memphis, Tennessee; Abiodun Bakre, 49, Ozone Park, New York; Adetunji Gbadegeshi, 57, of Queens, New York; and Adebola Mejule, 54, of Hempstead, New York, as defendants.
The indictment alleges that the five defendants conspired to commit wire fraud by submitting fraudulent federal tax returns in the names of individuals whose identities the conspirators stole. The conspirators then opened bank accounts using other stolen identities and used those accounts as repositories for their fraudulently obtained federal tax refunds.
The defendants allegedly obtained stolen identity information on the Internet and then traded that information among themselves using email accounts and other means of communication. All told, the indictment alleges that approximately $21 million in fraudulent tax refunds was sought from the IRS by the conspirators, causing the IRS to pay approximately $10 million in fraudulent refunds.
“We are making significant progress in our efforts to uncover identity fraud and protect citizens from criminals who steal their personal information and steal their money,” stated U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton. “We have dismantled a massive stolen identity ring that involved thousands of victims and tens of millions of dollars in losses.”
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 20 years in prison for Saburi Adeyemi, Adetunji Gbadegeshi and Adebola Mejule. Doherty Kushimo faces 38 years in prison and Abiodun Bakre faces 36 years in prison. All five defendants are subject to a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the amount of loss to the victims.
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Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Category: Cybercrime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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