- Fugitives
- Nov 4, 2026
$100 Million IRS Refund Fugitive CAUGHT In Africa After Fleeing Atlanta The Day Charges Went Public
- by Statewide Files,
- in Fugitives
Federal agents walked up to a house in Atlanta with a warrant. A voice came through the video doorbell and told them the man they wanted was not home. Less than a week later, investigators learned he had booked a flight from Mexico City to Benin, in West Africa. He landed on April 15, the same day the Justice Department unsealed charges saying he helped file more than 300 fake tax returns that asked the IRS for over $100 million in refunds. An INTERPOL Red Notice was already waiting for him.
In this report
- How prosecutors say the group used stolen identities and IRS online accounts to file fake returns
- Why the IRS identity check letters went straight to the scammers
- Prepaid debit cards, money orders, used cars shipped to Nigeria and designer clothes
- The doorbell, the flight and the arrest in Benin
- Only the second extradition from Benin to the U.S. in history
- The co-defendant arrested in the United Kingdom
- How to lock your Social Security number with an IRS Identity Protection PIN
Presumption of innocence
Akinade Raheem and Abayomi Eletu have been charged but not convicted. They are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. The Justice Department has not said how much of the $100 million the IRS actually paid out.
Sources
U.S. Department of Justice (April 15, 2026), U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia, IRS Criminal Investigation, CBS News Atlanta, FOX 5 Atlanta, Benin Web TV, FBI (Operation Blackout), IRS.gov.
