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December 23, 2021

Georgia Man Arrested for Scheme to Defraud the Internal Revenue Service

On October 19, 2021, Felix Ochei, also known as Gabriel Osom, and Onaz Ochai, was arraigned in the Northern District of Georgia after being indicted for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, access device fraud for possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices, and aggravated identity theft.

According to the indictment filed on September 28, 2021, beginning on or about May 2018 and continuing through November 2020, Ochei and others did knowingly and willfully conspire to devise a scheme to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL), in order to obtain money and property from these entities. Ochei and conspirators used stolen identities to file fraudulent income tax returns and applications for unemployment benefits, then directed refunds and benefits to accounts and financial transaction cards they controlled.

To obtain Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits they were not entitled to receive, Ochei and conspirators acquired the names of other persons along with their dates of birth, Social Security Numbers, and other Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and used this information to electronically submit numerous fraudulent applications for UI benefits to the GDOL.

As a part of the scheme to defraud the Government, Ochei and conspirators obtained and verified victims’ PII through the IRS e­authentication system. Using this information, they electronically submitted fraudulent tax returns to the IRS that claimed refunds and made false representations to include victims’ electronic signature, income, bank account information, employment, and address.

If convicted, Ochei could receive more than 20 years’ imprisonment.

Source:  The facts in this case narrative come from the following publicly available documents: N.D. Ga., Appearance and Compliance Bond, filed October 19, 2021; and N.D. Ga., Indict., filed September 29, 2021.