By Peter Omopo
The has filed a civil complaint to revoke the citizenship of a Nigerian national, , over his involvement in a large-scale identity theft and tax fraud scheme valued at $91 million.
In a statement released on Thursday, the department said the complaint was filed at the , alleging that Kazeem fraudulently obtained his American citizenship by concealing criminal activities.
According to prosecutors, Kazeem orchestrated a scheme that targeted more than 259,000 victims, using stolen personal identifying information to file fraudulent tax returns and attempt to divert over $91 million from the .
The Justice Department disclosed that Kazeem was convicted in 2017 on 19 counts, including mail fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and conspiracy, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. His sentence was later commuted in 2024 by former US President after serving about six years.
Assistant Attorney General said the move aligns with the policy stance of the administration of against allowing convicted criminals to retain citizenship obtained through fraud.
He stated that U.S. citizenship is a privilege and that the government would continue to pursue revocation in cases where it was acquired through deceit.
Court documents revealed that Kazeem’s operation, carried out between 2012 and 2015, involved the use of more than 91,000 stolen identities sourced from a hacked database. He and his co-conspirators filed over 10,000 fraudulent tax returns, successfully obtaining more than $11.6 million in refunds.
Investigators said the proceeds were channelled through prepaid debit cards and wire transfers, with at least $2.1 million sent to . Authorities also linked him to the purchase of properties in Maryland and an attempted $6 million hotel development in .
The complaint further alleged that Kazeem engaged in immigration fraud, including a sham marriage to secure permanent residency, which disqualified him from lawful naturalisation.
The case followed a multi-agency investigation involving the , the IRS Criminal Investigation unit and other U.S. agencies.
If successful, the denaturalisation proceedings would strip Kazeem of his U.S. citizenship, reinforcing the government’s position on accountability in cases of fraud and abuse of immigration privileges.
