Kevin Kunlay Williams, $12M Tax Refund Fraud, Voter Fraud, Missouri 2023

A Nigerian citizen residing in St. Louis, Missouri, has pleaded guilty to a string of high-profile crimes, including $12 million tax refund fraud, voter fraud, and illegal reentry into the United States. Kevin Kunlay Williams, 56, who goes by the alias Kunlay Sodipo, admitted to orchestrating a massive tax refund scam that targeted public school employees’ IDs from a payroll company.

Williams and his accomplices used these stolen IDs to electronically file over 2,000 fraudulent federal income tax returns, seeking a staggering $12 million in refunds. The scam involved stealing Electronic Filing Identification Numbers (EFINs) from return preparers, which allowed them to secure tax-related bank products and services, including blank check stock and debit cards.

Williams used the blank stock to print checks funded by the fraudulent refunds and directed some of the refunds onto debit cards. The scheme was uncovered after a lengthy investigation by special agents from the IRS Criminal Investigation, FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Dothan, Alabama Police Department, and Alexander City, Alabama Police Department.

Williams’ troubles began when he was deported from the United States in 1995. However, he managed to return illegally in 1999 using the last name Williams. In 2012, he registered to vote in federal, state, and local elections by falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen and even cast ballots in the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections.

Williams remains in federal custody and is set to be sentenced on October 13 before Chief U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for mail fraud, 10 years for illegal reentry, five years for each voter fraud count, and a mandatory minimum sentence of two years for aggravated identity theft.

Williams also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, forfeiture, and deportation. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg and Acting U.S. Attorney Carrie Costantin commended the investigators and prosecutors involved in the case for their tireless efforts in bringing Williams to justice.

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