Luciana and Femi Akanbi
A Nigerian couple based in the United Kingdom has been sentenced to prison for orchestrating a large-scale tax fraud scheme using stolen personal data from London transport workers.
Luciana Akanbi, an employee of Transport for London (TfL), used her position to access the private information of more than 100 staff members. Prosecutors said she shared the data with her husband, Femi Akanbi, and together they used the details of at least 40 employees to submit fraudulent tax refund claims.
In total, the couple filed 139 false claims to the UK tax authority, with the fraud estimated at approximately $881,000. Authorities said the scheme resulted in losses of about $588,000 to the government.
During sentencing, the court described the case as the most serious data breach in the history of Transport for London.
Luciana and Femi Akanbi were each sentenced to three years and nine months in prison.
The case highlights growing concerns around insider threats and the misuse of sensitive personal data within public institutions.
DW
