Brooklyn Man Sentenced for Role in International Wire Fraud Scheme Using Stolen Identities to Submit Fraudulent Tax Returns Seeking More Than $35 Million in Refunds

ERIE, Pa. - A resident of Brooklyn, New York, pleaded guilty and was sentenced in federal court to three years of probation and ordered to pay $290,000 in restitution on his conviction of wire fraud conspiracy, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

United States District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter imposed the sentence on Xerxes Shevar, 57, on July 10, 2025.

According to information presented to the Court, Shevar participated in a conspiracy involving multiple co-defendants in the United States, Ghana, Nigeria, and Ireland to commit wire fraud by submitting fraudulent federal tax returns in the names of individuals whose identities were stolen by the conspirators. The conspirators then opened bank accounts using stolen identities and used those accounts as repositories for their fraudulently obtained federal tax refunds. The conspirators obtained stolen identity information on the Internet and then traded that information among themselves using email accounts and other means of communication. The Indictment against Shevar—who was arrested in February 2024 when he returned to the United States from Ghana— and his co-conspirators alleges that, for the tax years 2010 to 2013, approximately $38 million in fraudulent tax refunds was sought from the IRS by the conspirators, causing the IRS to pay at least $10 million in fraudulent refunds. The Indictment also alleges that approximately 3,493 bank accounts were opened using stolen identities, affecting approximately 443 financial institutions, and that approximately 4,563 credit cards were obtained using the stolen identities, with approximately 11,468 individuals alleged to have been victimized.

Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Shevar.