Kingsley Utulu, a Nigerian, has been sentenced to prison for five years and three months for his involvement in a significant hacking and identity theft operation that defrauded United States tax authorities and private citizens of more than $2.5 million.
Utulu’s sentencing was announced by Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, alongside Christopher Raia, the Assistant Director in charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office, at the weekend.
They charged the 38-year-old Nigerian of aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Clayton said, “Kingsley Uchelue Utulu took part in a scheme to hack into the U.S. tax preparation businesses, trade in the stolen personal identifying information, and defraud the IRS and other governmental bodies.
“Offshore scammers like Utulu and his co-conspirators may think they can target hard-working Americans with their hacking and fraud schemes and avoid prosecution.
“The FBI will never exempt any individual who seeks to unlawfully profit through deceitful practices, regardless of where they are located.”
Utulu was apprehended in the United Kingdom, UK, and was subsequently extradited to the United States to stand trial.
Alongside his prison term, Utulu was mandated to pay restitution of $3,683,029.39 and to forfeit $290,250.
This latest development follows the recent convictions of two other Nigerians, Abel Daramola and Olutayo Ogunlaja, who were found guilty of running a $560,000 international romance scam.
They are now facing potential sentences of up to 20 years in a United States federal prison.
