Trump Administration Moves to Strip Nigerian-Born Kazeem of U.S. Citizenship Over $91 Million Tax Fraud Scheme
- 4 hours ago
- 1 min read
The United States government has initiated legal proceedings to revoke the citizenship of Nigerian-born Emmanuel Oluwatosin Kazeem over his role in a large-scale tax fraud operation targeting thousands of victims.
The Department of Justice confirmed it filed a civil denaturalisation complaint in a federal court in Baltimore, alleging that Kazeem obtained U.S. citizenship through deception while concealing extensive criminal activities.
Kazeem was earlier convicted in 2017 on 19 counts, including mail fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison but had his sentence reduced in 2024 after serving six years.
Prosecutors argue that his involvement in criminal acts both before and after naturalisation disqualified him from holding U.S. citizenship. They also cited alleged fraudulent marriages used to secure immigration benefits.
Investigations revealed that the fraud scheme came to light in 2013 after victims reported unauthorised tax filings using their personal information. This triggered a multi-state probe by federal authorities.
Authorities later uncovered that Kazeem coordinated a network that used stolen identities to file over 10,000 fraudulent tax returns, seeking more than $91 million in refunds. About $11.6 million was successfully obtained.
Part of the proceeds was traced to Nigeria through multiple wire transfers, while funds were also used to acquire properties in the United States and support a planned $6 million hotel project in Lagos.
Officials maintain that stripping Kazeem of his citizenship is necessary to uphold the integrity of the immigration system, stressing that individuals who obtain legal status through fraud will be held accountable.
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