Sacramento brothers-in-law indicted in $1M bank fraud scheme, identity theft
A Sacramento man was scheduled to appear in federal court Wednesday on charges that he and his brother-in-law defrauded two elderly victims by taking over their bank accounts and draining nearly $1 million.
Ayman Alaaraj, 48, was indicted earlier this month on charges of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. He voluntarily agreed to appear in court to avoid arrest, court records show. His brother-in-law, Ahmad Nassar, who is also charged, is already in prison for other offenses.
The indictment unsealed Tuesday accuses the pair of using cellphones and other devices to steal the identities of two brothers who were clients of Alaaraj’s accounting business. They allegedly stole about $800,000 from the brothers’ accounts.
Nassar was convicted in 2019 of unlawfully possessing 15 or more devices used to access financial accounts, as well as aggravated identity theft and being a felon in possession of a firearm, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith said in a news release.
He was released in 2021 but was rearrested last year for violating parole. Records show he is currently held in the Sacramento County Main Jail.
The news release describes Nassar as the scheme’s mastermind, with help from Alaaraj. The men allegedly passed the money through accounts opened in the victims’ names, including about $100,000 funneled through Alaaraj’s company, Beckwith said.
If convicted, both men face up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine on each count of bank fraud, plus a mandatory two-year sentence for aggravated identity theft and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the amount stolen. Nassar faces an additional 20 years and a $250,000 fine for access device fraud.
