CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — A man from Paris, France has been sentenced in West Virginia to more than three decades in federal prison after he was found to have orchestrated an international tax scheme.
According to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice, Ayodele Arasokun, 46, was sentenced to 34 years in federal prison on Monday after a jury convicted him of 21 counts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in Oct. 2022.
Court documents and statements made in court said that Arasokun coordinated a scheme to file more than 1,700 false returns and claim $9.1 million in refunds, with West Virginia residents among the victims.
Evidence presented in court showed that Arasokun had the money transferred to pre-paid debit cards and checking accounts that he would monitor. Further investigation into the scheme revealed that Arasokun was tracking around 700 U.S.-based accounts that contained more than $50 million. In total, about $2.2 million in fraudulent refunds were actually paid out by the IRS.
