part of a massive pandemic-related fraud also sought to defraud the Internal Revenue Service of nearly $1.6 million, federal prosecutors alleged on Friday.He is accused of using stolen identities to take more than $350,000 from the Washington State Employment Security Department as it tried to rush unemployment benefits to people who lost work during the pandemic last year.
The state likely paid out more than $647 million in such fraudulent claims, though $370 million was recovered, officials said last month. Federal prosecutors in western Washington have been seeking to make sure Rufai remains in custody pending trial, saying he poses a severe flight risk, is facile with fake identities, and that he’s unlikely to ever be extradited if he makes it back to Nigeria.$350,000 fraud: US Court orders indefinite detention of Abiodun’s suspended aide, Bidemi RufaiOn Friday, they filed a letter with U.S. District Judge, Benjamin Settle, to bolster that argument.
According to the IRS, the email account was used to file 652 fraudulent tax returns, seeking $1.6 million in refunds, from 2016 to 2019.“The IRS rejected many of the filings, but accepted returns seeking approximately $900,000,” the letter said. “The IRS is calculating the amount of refunds actually paid out on these returns.”
An attorney representing Rufai, Lance Hester, told The Seattle Times he was not yet familiar enough with the allegations against his client to comment.