Defendant sentenced to federal prison for using stolen identities to file fraudulent tax returns

ATLANTA - Abdulrahman Tijani has been sentenced for his role in a scheme to file fraudulent tax returns, using the stolen personally identifiable information (PII), such as dates of birth and Social Security numbers of taxpayers.  Tijani then used some of the funds to pay fees for his immigration application, in which he made false representations concerning prior crimes. 

“Tijani victimized numerous taxpayers by filing fraudulent tax returns with their stolen identities,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “He then used some of the stolen funds to pay for his immigration application fees, on which he denied committing any crimes.  Tijani is now headed to federal prison for his role in this scheme, and he will be turned over to the Department of Homeland Security for potential deportation proceedings.”

“The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration remains committed to investigating and pursuing all criminal abuses of the federal system of tax administration, including the digital tax administration system,” said J. Russell George, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. “Let this case serve as a warning to others who are interested in exploiting the Internal Revenue Service’s computer systems to commit identity theft and other forms of criminal activity.  I wish to thank my investigators for their excellent work on this case and the U.S. Attorney’s office for helping bring this individual to justice.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: Tijani was a member of a group which used stolen PII to file fraudulent tax returns with the IRS. He then directed the refunds into fraudulently obtained bank accounts or debit cards.  Between February 16, 2015 and April 6, 2015, 47 fraudulent returns were filed, which totaled $265,960 in attempted tax refunds. The IRS flagged 35 of these returns as being potentially fraudulent.

An email account linked to Tijani was used in connection with obtaining a fraudulent refund in the amount of $6,063.10 from a victim in Gretna, Louisiana. The refund was deposited into a bank account on March 13, 2015. On the same day, Tijani withdrew $791.65 from this account to pay for his federal immigration application fees. He then falsely answered “no” on the application to the question asking whether he had committed a crime of moral turpitude for which he had not been arrested.

Another email account linked to Tijani was used to open a separate bank account where another fraudulent refund was directed. Two telephone numbers associated with Tijani were then used to conduct balance checks on the account.  The investigation also revealed that Tijani downloaded stolen files containing victims’ PII from a New York tax firm.

Abdulrahman Tijani, 41, of Lawrenceville, Georgia was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen to four years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $50,221. Tijani pleaded guilty on March 30, 2018 to theft of public money, aggravated identity theft, and making a false statement on his immigration application.  

The case was investigated by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Herskowitz, Deputy Chief of the Organized Crime and Gang Section, prosecuted the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.