A Nigerian national, Onomen Uduebor, who was sentenced to three years and four months in prison by a United States District Court for his role in a fraudulent tax refund operation worth $140,000 said he committed the crime because he was desperate to succeed in his music career.
In a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice, accessed on Tuesday, Uduebor was extradited from the United Kingdom after being indicted in connection with the scheme.
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The statement outlined that Uduebor, aged 39, collaborated with other individuals between 2016 and 2017 to execute a tax fraud scheme. They gained access to employee data by sending deceptive emails to the Human Resources departments of various American companies, posing as legitimate contacts to request sensitive information.
Upon acquiring the information from W-2 tax forms, the conspirators allegedly filed over 300 fraudulent tax returns, collectively seeking more than $1 million in refunds. The statement added, “The conspirators targeted companies across the U.S. in this scheme.”
It continued: “Uduebor admits that he filed 150 of the false tax returns and tracked the refunds and payments to bank accounts that the schemers set up in the names of the victims.”
Although the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) paid out around $140,000 in fraudulent refunds, Uduebor claimed he personally received only $10,000. Some of the funds were later recovered by authorities, leaving the total restitution owed at $122,720.
Uduebor pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Following his plea, U.S. District Judge James Robart handed down a 40-month prison sentence.
During the sentencing, the judge remarked, “He freely participated in the fraud and had a substantial role in the scheme. Thirty years old is not a young man, and he ought to have known better.”
The court also referenced one of the affected firms based in Tukwila, Washington, with the judge stating, “This defendant participated in a conspiracy that involved tricking companies around the United States, including a Tukwila-based company, into providing W-2 information on their employees.”
When asked to respond to the victims’ statements, Uduebor expressed remorse and cited his pursuit of a music career as a driving factor behind his involvement. “I have read the victim impact statements, and I know an apology is not enough. I was desperate to succeed in my music career. It is not an excuse, but it is the truth,” he said.
The statement concluded by noting that Uduebor was arrested in the UK in September 2023, extradited to the U.S. in March 2025, and entered a guilty plea the following month. It also indicated that “Uduebor will likely be deported to Nigeria following his prison term,” and hinted that he may suffer from depression post-incarceration.
