Nigerian man faces deportation after targeting US schools in tax refund fraud

Nigerian man faces deportation after tax refund fraud in US

A Nigerian man, Olukayode Lawal, has been sentenced to time served for tricking school districts into sending him the personal information of workers that he then used to file fraudulent tax returns.

The 36-year-old is now being held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody for deportation proceedings.

Mr Lawal was sentenced on Tuesday in Connecticut.

He pleaded guilty in December to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Federal prosecutors say Lawal had been living in Smyrna, Georgia on an expired visa.

In 2017, Lawal mailed Groton Public Schools and Sacred Heart Academy in Hamden to obtain the personal information of employees which he used to file fraudulent tax returns in their names.