OLATHE, Kan. — Raquel Odegbaro, 39, of Olathe, Kan., pleaded guilty Monday to orchestrating a brazen identity theft and tax refund scheme that ripped off the federal government for over $894,000. The scam leveraged fake businesses, stolen Social Security numbers, and electronic refund deposits funneled to prepaid cards under her control.
Odegbaro, owner of the now-defunct online hair product business Cokeza Styles, admitted in U.S. District Court to one count of conspiracy to defraud the government, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of mail fraud. She and her co-conspirators created a string of shell companies that existed only on paper, then filed fraudulent federal income tax returns in the names of individuals who never worked for them.
The false filings included fabricated wages, withholdings, and refund requests. The IRS, duped by the paperwork, deposited refunds directly onto reloadable credit cards controlled by the conspirators. These weren’t mistakes — they were calculated thefts, targeting both federal and state coffers.
On top of the tax scam, Odegbaro and her network used the same stolen identities to file false unemployment claims with the Kansas Department of Labor. By registering more than nine fictitious companies with the state, they claimed benefits for employees who were never hired, let alone laid off. The victims? Ordinary people whose identities were hijacked without consent.
Odegbaro is scheduled for sentencing on April 19, 2017. Both prosecutors and defense have agreed to recommend 75 months in federal prison and restitution totaling $894,000. The plea deal underscores the severity of the fraud and the cooperation — or damage control — already underway.
Co-defendants Abdirizak Aden, 32, of Kansas City, Mo.; Alexander Limihagati, 33, and Zia Mkubi Kajanja, 40, both of Overland Park, Kan., are still awaiting trial. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, led by Tom Beall, credited a sweeping interagency probe involving the IRS-Criminal Investigation, U.S. Department of Labor OIG, HUD-OIG, Education-OIG, USDA-OIG, and Kansas Children and Families for cracking the case. As always, defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
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Key Facts
- State: Kansas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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