The Justice Department has filed a civil complaint seeking to revoke the U.S. citizenship of Emmanuel Oluwatosin Kazeem, a Nigerian-born man previously convicted of leading a massive identity theft and tax fraud operation that targeted hundreds of thousands of victims.
According to the complaint, Kazeem orchestrated a scheme that used stolen personal identifying information to file more than 10,000 fraudulent federal tax returns, attempting to claim over $91 million in refunds. Prosecutors say the conspiracy ultimately succeeded in obtaining more than $11.6 million.
Kazeem was convicted in 2017 on 19 counts, including mail and wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and conspiracy, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. His sentence was commuted in 2024 after he had served approximately six years.
The new filing alleges that Kazeem committed fraud both before and after becoming a U.S. citizen and failed to disclose those activities during the naturalization process. It also accuses him of entering into a sham marriage to obtain permanent resident status, which, if proven, could invalidate his citizenship.
Federal investigators say the scheme involved the theft of personal data from more than 259,000 individuals, including Social Security numbers and dates of birth. Authorities traced the operation across multiple states, including Illinois, Maryland and Georgia, where agents seized prepaid debit cards, electronic devices, and tens of thousands of dollars in cash and money orders.
Officials said Kazeem also trained co-conspirators to bypass IRS security systems by obtaining thousands of electronic filing PINs and accessing confidential taxpayer records.
The denaturalization case marks a renewed effort by federal authorities to hold individuals accountable for alleged immigration fraud tied to broader criminal activity.
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