Nigerian Steals $6.7m From US Taxpayers

Melvin Orellana, a computer support employee of a tax software company based in Georgia, United States of America, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison at a US District Court for his role in a scheme to steal $6.7 million from US taxpayers between 2016 and 2017.

According to a statement on the website of the US Department of Justice, Orellana supplied sensitive taxpayers’ data to King Isaac Umoren, a Nigerian based in Las Vegas, who in turn executed the fraud.

Umoren, who operated the Universal Tax Services (UTS), a tax preparation firm, used the information he received from Orellana to steal from the tax software business. Between May 2016 and November 2017, Umoren made $6.7 million from the fraud.

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For releasing the information to Umoren twice, Orellana was supposed to receive a sum of $32,000.

While delivering the judgement on September 21, Stuart M. Goldberg, the presiding judge, also handed Orellana a three-year supervised release after serving the jail term.

Before bagging the 18-month prison sentence, Orellana had been charged with identity theft conspiracy.

Umoren, who pled guilty to identity theft, wire fraud and money laundering in June, is to be sentenced on November 2.

FIJ