Abidemi Rufai, an aide of Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, could be facing a fresh charge after federal prosecutors in the United States alleged he also sought to defraud the Internal Revenue Service of nearly $1.6 million.
The 42-year-old has already been indicted for conspiracy, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for his scheme to steal over $350,000 in unemployment benefits from the Washington State Employment Security Department.
Prosecutors, on Friday, filed a letter with US district judge Benjamin Settle, saying that in the last few days, IRS criminal investigators have revealed that they have been investigating an email account associated with Rufai for years.
According to the IRS, the email account was used to file 652 fraudulent tax returns, seeking $1.6 million in refunds, from 2016 to 2019.
“The IRS rejected many of the filings, but accepted returns seeking approximately $900,000,” the letter read. “The IRS is calculating the amount of refunds actually paid out on these returns.”
Rufai, alias Sandy Tang, was arrested May 14, 2021 at JFK Airport in New York as he attempted to depart the US for Nigeria.
He is being detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Prosecutors have asked Judge Settle to order Rufai detained and transported to the Western District of Washington for arraignment on the indictment.
