A Nigerian national, Chukwuemeka Amachukwu, has been sentenced to eight years in prison by a US court for his involvement in extensive hacking and fraud operations that defrauded victims of millions of dollars. The sentencing took place in the Southern District of New York and was announced by the US Attorney’s Office on October 20.

Amachukwu, who is also known by the aliases Chukwuemeka Victor Eletuo and So Kwan Leung, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit computer intrusions and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. His criminal activities, which began in 2019, included hacking into US tax preparation businesses through spear-phishing emails, allowing him and his associates to access sensitive electronic systems.

The fraudulent operations led to the theft of tax and personal information from approximately 800 individuals across various states, including New York and Texas. The stolen identities were then exploited to file fraudulent tax returns, resulting in attempted refunds of at least $8.4 million, with successful claims amounting to $2.5 million. Additionally, Amachukwu and his accomplices submitted fake applications to the Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, securing $819,000 in illicit funds.

In a separate fraudulent scheme, Amachukwu posed as a wealthy foreign financier to entice US victims into investing in non-existent standby letters of credit. This deception netted him and his co-conspirators over $7 million.

US Attorney Jamie McDonald emphasized the seriousness of Amachukwu's crimes, stating, “Amachukwu took part in sophisticated schemes to hack into U.S. businesses, steal and use stolen identity information of victims, and commit fraud. These crimes imposed significant harm on the victims and the public, and so it is only appropriate that the crimes also come with a significant sentence for the defendant.”

Alongside the prison sentence, Amachukwu was also ordered to pay $3,647,629.39 in restitution and to forfeit $10,846,634.39. He will serve one year of supervised release following his prison term. The investigation was supported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the prosecution was led by Assistant US Attorney Daniel G. Nessim.