A Canadian man pleaded guilty in a federal court in Las Vegas on July 30 to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering in connection with a plot to steal millions of dollars from victims in the United States, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Poupak Jannissar, a 52-year-old resident of Quebec, Canada, operated several fraudulent companies under various names, including Computer Run, EBooks, Joreeb, Memo Storage, Our Online Backup, You Can Fax Too, and Your E-Library, according to court documents.
These entities posed as providers of internet-based services such as cloud storage, internet faxing, and online books, the DOJ said. However, the services were entirely fictitious, and the companies allegedly served solely as fronts to facilitate the theft of funds from victims’ bank accounts.
The use of these false documents was a critical part of the scheme, as they provided the appearance of legitimacy and were used to convince victims and financial institutions to part with their money, the indictment alleged.
The alleged scheme also used particular methods to transfer and hide illicitly obtained funds. Jannisar is said to have conducted numerous financial transactions to obscure the origins of the money, according to the indictment.
These transactions allegedly involved moving funds through various bank accounts, both domestic and international, to make it difficult for authorities to trace the money back to its illegal source.
Jannissar was arrested on January 22 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida, following a criminal complaint and arrest warrant issued by U.S. Magistrate Judge Brenda Weksler in the District of Nevada.
He was subsequently indicted on the charges and subsequently pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Andrew P. Gordon.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s civil division, emphasized the severity of the crime, stating, “Through various sham entities, the defendant and his accomplices stole consumers’ hard-earned money directly from their bank accounts. The Justice Department will use all of the tools at its disposal to apprehend and prosecute criminals, whether located inside or outside the United States, who steal from Americans.”
Jannissar faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each charge.
The final sentence will be determined by a federal district judge.
