A 29‑year‑old Ghanaian named Linford Atakora has been sentenced to approximately nine months in federal custody in the United States for fraudulently using the identity of a relative who is an American citizen to obtain employment at a home‑health agency in Bismarck, North Dakota.
The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Daniel L. Hovland on a felony charge of misuse of a Social Security number and accounts for time Atakora has already spent in federal custody.
In addition to the prison term, the court ordered Atakora’s removal from the United States to Ghana.
U.S. Attorney Nicholas W. Chase announced the sentence, explaining that Atakora had presented his relative’s driver’s licence and Social Security card during the application process for Love & Care Inc., a home‑health agency, and used the same information on an IRS Form W‑4 and an employee information form.
Atakora did not possess a valid Social Security number and was not authorised to work in the United States. The misrepresentations led the agency to receive ineligible claims totalling $51,435.63 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
"This case serves as an important reminder to North Dakota workers and employers that working under another person’s identity or social security number to circumvent immigration work requirements is a federal crime," said Chase.
The prosecution was carried out by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan J. O’Konek, with investigation by the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General.
The case is part of a broader effort by the U.S. Department of Justice to address fraud involving public funds and federal benefit programmes, including the recently created National Fraud Enforcement Division and President Donald Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.
Atakora will be deported to Ghana following the proceedings, with no further legal action expected in the United States.
