A United States court has sentenced a Nigerian national, Atuchukwu Markrufus Onyeanusi, to prison after he was convicted of fraud-related offences, including identity theft and the misuse of official documents.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Onyeanusi, 32, was sentenced on May 20, 2026, to time already served, amounting to nearly six months in custody.
He was also placed on one year of supervised release and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and a $100 assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
The court heard that Onyeanusi was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2025 on charges bordering on document fraud, aggravated identity theft and the use of false records.
He later pleaded guilty to the offences on February 27, 2026.
Investigators said the case came to light on November 10, 2025, when law enforcement officers in Oklahoma stopped a vehicle driven by Onyeanusi for speeding.
During the encounter, authorities reportedly found him in possession of a Texas commercial driver’s licence bearing his photograph but carrying another person’s identity.
He was also found with an employee identification card issued by the Great Plains Tribal Leaders’ Health Board in South Dakota under the same false name.
The identification card listed him as a Cyber Threat Analyst.
Prosecutors said he used the fraudulent driver’s licence and a false Social Security card to secure employment with the organisation.
The Department of Justice further disclosed that Onyeanusi falsely claimed to be a United States citizen on an employment immigration document, a violation that formed part of the charges brought against him.
