In a significant development in the fight against international cybercrime, Chukwuemeka Victor Amachukwu, a Nigerian national, has been extradited from France to the United States to face charges related to a sprawling cyber scheme that targeted American taxpayers and government agencies. Federal authorities allege that Amachukwu played a central role in a network of cybercriminals responsible for stealing more than $3.3 million from U.S. taxpayers through a series of sophisticated operations between 2019 and 2021.
According to federal prosecutors, Amachukwu collaborated with several accomplices, including Kingsley Uchelue Utulu and others based in Nigeria, to orchestrate spearphishing attacks on U.S.-based tax preparation firms. These attacks granted the group unauthorized access to sensitive computer networks, enabling them to steal personally identifiable information from thousands of U.S. citizens. The stolen data was then used to file fraudulent federal tax returns seeking to claim more than $8.4 million in refunds—of which approximately $2.5 million was successfully disbursed by the IRS.
The scheme did not end there. Investigators say the group also submitted fraudulent applications for Small Business Administration (SBA) loans, securing an additional $819,000 under false pretenses. The use of stolen identities multiplied their illicit gains and seriously complicated efforts to recover the funds for affected victims.
Beyond tax- and loan-related fraud, Amachukwu is also accused of participating in a separate investment scam. Prosecutors allege that he and his co-conspirators lured victims with promises of lucrative opportunities in non-existent financial instruments, such as standby letters of credit, resulting in further losses for unsuspecting investors.
Amachukwu was extradited to the U.S. on August 4, 2025, and appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in New York. He faces several serious felony charges, including conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, multiple counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. The penalties for these charges are substantial, carrying potential prison sentences of up to 20 years for each wire fraud count and a mandatory consecutive two-year sentence for identity theft. Prosecutors are also seeking the forfeiture of all proceeds derived from these crimes.