U.S. Jury Finds Man Guilty of Tax Fraud

A federal jury found a man guilty of tax fraud Thursday for conspiring with others to file false returns with the Internal Revenue Service, authorities said.

Barry Nnanna, 38, of Sherman Oaks, was convicted after a five-day trial of five counts of filing false claims, bank fraud, and two counts of cashing stolen U.S. Treasury checks.

Officials said Nnanna conspired with others to submit returns in his name, the names of his children, and the names of fictitious people.

The returns fraudulently claimed refunds based on the fuel tax credit and earned income credit.

Nnanna is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 20 in U.S. District Court.

The U.S. attorney’s office said four of Nnanna’s co-defendants have pleaded guilty. Samuel Aragbaye, 47, and Olabisi Aragbaye, 40, of Riverside; Dele Akanmu, 44, of Los Angeles; and Gabriel Popoola, 47, of Hawthorne are awaiting sentencing later this summer.