A Nigerian national, Kingsley Utulu, has been sentenced to five years and three months in prison for orchestrating a major cybercrime operation involving identity theft and financial fraud that cost the U.S. government and private citizens over $2.5 million.
The announcement came from Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, alongside Christopher Raia, Assistant Director of the FBI’s New York Field Office, over the weekend.
Authorities found the 38-year-old Nigerian guilty of charges that included aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Clayton emphasized, “Kingsley Uchelue Utulu participated in a calculated operation to breach U.S. tax preparation services, illegally traffic in personally identifiable information (PII), and exploit that data to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and other federal agencies.”
He added, “Scammers operating from abroad, like Utulu and his associates, might assume they can exploit American taxpayers and evade legal consequences. The FBI remains committed to ensuring that justice is served, regardless of where the perpetrators are based.”
Utulu was originally apprehended in the United Kingdom and was later extradited to the United States to face criminal charges.
In addition to the prison sentence, Utulu has been ordered to pay restitution totaling $3,683,029.39 and forfeit $290,250 as part of the court ruling.
This verdict comes shortly after the conviction of two other Nigerian nationals, Abel Daramola and Olutayo Ogunlaja, who were found guilty of operating an international romance scam that siphoned over $560,000. Both individuals are now awaiting sentencing, with potential penalties reaching up to 20 years in federal prison.
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