Lionel Allorge, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
A United States court has sentenced Nigerian national Kingsley Uchelue Utulu to five years and three months in prison for his involvement in a large-scale hacking and identity theft conspiracy that defrauded the U.S. government and private individuals of over $2.5 million.
The sentencing was announced on Saturday by U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and FBI New York Field Office Assistant Director Christopher Raia.
Utulu had pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
According to prosecutors, Utulu and his co-conspirators hacked into U.S.-based tax preparation firms through spearphishing tactics, gaining unauthorised access to sensitive personal and financial information.
They used the stolen data to file fraudulent tax returns and exploit relief programs such as the Economic Injury Disaster Loan initiative.
“Offshore scammers like Utulu may think they can target hardworking Americans and avoid prosecution,” Clayton said. “But this case sends a strong message — they cannot.”
Raia added that the group’s global reach did not shield them from justice:
“Utulu’s actions caused significant financial harm. The FBI will not spare anyone who exploits sensitive information for unlawful profit.”
The fraud scheme, which began around 2019, resulted in at least $8.4 million in attempted fraudulent claims, with over $2.5 million successfully obtained. An additional $819,000 was secured through fake loan applications with the Small Business Administration.
Utulu, 38, was arrested in the United Kingdom and later extradited to the U.S. In addition to his 63-month prison term, he has been ordered to pay over $3.68 million in restitution and forfeit $290,250.
His conviction follows similar prosecutions of Nigerians abroad for cybercrime-related offences. In January, Olutayo Ogunlaja and Abel Daramola were convicted for their roles in a $560,000 international romance scam and now face up to 20 years in a U.S. prison.
