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Crime Alert: Texas Man Sentenced to Prison for Filing False Tax Returns
A Texas man has been sentenced to 70 months in prison for conspiring to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, in connection with a scheme to file false tax returns using stolen identities.
Emmanuel Akoto, also known as “Kofi,” of Grand Prairie, was convicted in 2019 following a jury trial. According to court documents and evidence at trial, from 2011 through 2014, Akoto purchased more than 560 stolen identities and used some of those identities to file false tax returns with the IRS.
The scheme involved others in Texas, California, Georgia and Ghana. Akoto and his co-conspirators would list fake income and tax withholdings and seek fraudulent refunds, which they would load onto pre-paid debit cards.
Akoto’s downfall came when he tried to purchase, via email, identities from a U.S. Secret Service undercover agent. His co-defendant, Jeffrey Quaye, was sentenced in March to 24 months in prison for conspiring to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
In addition to being sentenced to prison, U.S. District Judge Steven J. McAuliffe ordered Akoto and Quaye to pay restitution and to serve terms of supervised release following their prison sentences. Akoto was ordered to pay $551,601 in restitution and Quaye was ordered to pay $99,796. Each defendant was sentenced to two years of supervised release.
The case was investigated by IRS–Criminal Investigations and the Secret Service. Trial Attorney Sean Green, Assistant U.S. Attorney John Kennedy, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Arnold Huftalen of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire prosecuted the case.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney John J. Farley for the District of New Hampshire made the announcement.
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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