UK court jails Nigerian couple for £433,000 tax fraud and data breach – THIS UPDATE

By Ayo Kehinde

A UK court has jailed a Nigerian couple, Luciana and Femi Akanbi, for orchestrating a large-scale fraud scheme that exploited the stolen personal data of Transport for London (TfL) employees, resulting in losses of more than £433,000 to the public purse.

The couple were each sentenced to three years and nine months’ imprisonment at Woolwich Crown Court after being found guilty of making fraudulent tax refund claims to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) using illegally obtained staff documents.

The court heard that Luciana Akanbi, 38, who worked in TfL’s human resources system, abused her position of trust to access highly sensitive personal data belonging to colleagues, including passport details, national insurance numbers and banking information. In total, it accessed the data of 107 employees, of which at least 40 were directly targeted by the fraud.

Prosecutors revealed the pair used the stolen identities to make 139 fraudulent claims for tax refunds between September 2021 and January 2022, with total claims approaching £649,000. Of that amount, more than £433,000 was successfully paid before the scheme was discovered.

Describing the case as the most serious internal data breach in TfL’s history, the presiding judge, David Miller, said the crimes had far-reaching consequences beyond financial loss.

“This was a serious and sustained fraud involving a significant breach of trust,” the judge said, noting that the unauthorized access to employee data forced TfL to review its internal systems and triggered widespread distress among affected staff.

The court was told that victims have suffered disruption to their financial lives, including compromised credit ratings and prolonged engagements with tax authorities to resolve fraudulent claims made in their names.

Prosecutor Andrew Evans described the operation as “sophisticated and highly organised”, involving the use of 38 different devices to process claims and move funds through multiple channels in a coordinated money laundering effort.

Femi Akanbi was identified as a key contributor to the system, acting as a conduit in processing fraudulent claims and managing the proceeds. Evidence presented showed tens of thousands of pounds were funneled into gambling accounts, with the court linking the crime partly to financial pressures and gambling addiction following the COVID-19 period.

The judge, however, rejected any mitigating justification, stressing that both defendants were “at the epicentre” of a deliberate and calculated fraud made possible by privileged access.

“You abused a position of trust and caused immense harm, not only to your employer but also to innocent colleagues whose personal data was exploited,” he said.

Although £66,000 and £16,000 were traced back to Femi and Luciana Akanbi respectively, the court found their actual earnings were significantly higher but had been dissipated. No compensation order was made for lack of recoverable property.

Reacting to the ruling, TfL confirmed that the breach prompted immediate structural reforms, including tighter controls over data access and strengthened monitoring systems to prevent internal abuse.

HMRC also welcomed the conviction, warning that it will continue to prosecute individuals who attempt to exploit the tax system, stressing that such fraud directly undermines taxpayer-funded public services.

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