On Thursday, April 21, Olufunsho Adeshina – a Nigerian musician living in St. Louis, USA – pleaded guilty to stealing tax refunds in 2015 and was sentenced to over three (3) years in federal prison.
Prosecutors say Adeshina participated in a stolen identity tax fraud scheme. The 29-year-old guitarist tried to steal more than $3 million in fake tax refunds but many didn’t go through. He ended up collecting nearly $800,000 from more than 50 refunds by filing false tax returns under other people’s names. The criminal complaint claims that nearly $200,000 has flowed into more than 20 accounts controlled by Adeshina since the start of the year.
Prosecutors also say Adeshina has left the area, and urge anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact the Internal Revenue Service’s criminal investigation division.
If found, Adeshina could face a maximum sentence of ten years in prison.