US courts sentence individuals for fraud and money laundering

Two separate fraud cases in the United States have resulted in prison sentences for individuals involved in financial schemes.

Ahmed Maqbul Syed, an Indian national and former Illinois resident, was sentenced to 96 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to commit money laundering. Syed participated in a widespread scheme that used fake tech support and government impersonation tactics to target elderly victims. Scammers used fraudulent pop-up messages to deceive victims into believing their computers were compromised or linked to criminal activity. Victims were instructed to transfer funds via gold purchases, cash, gift cards, or Bitcoin ATMs. Syed was ordered to pay approximately USD 2.4 million in restitution to the victims.

In a separate case, Nikenson Jean Mathurin of Sparta, New Jersey, was sentenced to 78 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Mathurin was convicted of wire fraud and money laundering after a jury trial regarding a scheme to obtain fraudulent COVID-19 relief funds. He submitted 15 false applications for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) funds by providing fake payroll, revenue, and tax documentation. He was ordered to pay $2,131,747 in restitution.