A Nigerian musician, Onomen Uduebor, has been sentenced to a few years and 4 months in a United States federal jail for his position in a $140,000 tax fraud scheme.
Uduebor, often known as Onomen Onohi, was convicted for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated id theft.
The 39-year-old was extradited from the UK to the US in March 2025 after his arrest in September 2023. He pleaded responsible in April 2025.
In keeping with an announcement from the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace for the Western District of Washington, Uduebor participated in a scheme that concerned tricking Human Sources departments of corporations throughout the U.S. into releasing W-2 worker tax info. The knowledge was then used to file over 300 fraudulent tax returns claiming greater than $1 million in refunds.
Court docket paperwork revealed that Uduebor personally filed 150 of the false returns and tracked the refunds, which have been paid into accounts opened within the names of the id theft victims. Though the Inner Income Service (IRS) intercepted many of the fraudulent claims, roughly $140,000 was paid out, with Uduebor admitting he personally obtained $10,000.
U.S. District Decide James L. Robart, who sentenced Uduebor in Seattle, described him as enjoying a “substantial position” within the scheme. The decide stated Uduebor “freely participated within the fraud” and will have recognized higher.
Performing U.S. Legal professional Tessa Gorman stated the fraud brought on vital hurt to corporations, workers, and the IRS, with victims struggling monetary disruption and emotional stress attributable to stolen identities and delayed tax refunds.
Uduebor has been ordered to forfeit the $10,000 he earned from the scheme and pay $122,720 in restitution to the IRS.
He’s anticipated to be deported to Nigeria after serving his jail time period.
