California Man Indicted On Mail And Wire Fraud Conspiracy Charges For Telemarketing Scheme

Orlando, FL – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Naif Wedad Nazer (39, Laguna Niguel, California) with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies him that the United States is seeking a money judgment in the amount of $811,162.06, the proceeds of the charged criminal offense.     

According to the indictment, between 2011 and 2015, Nazer founded and operated 10 different businesses, each of which engaged in cold-calling timeshare owners across the United States and fraudulently inducing them to pay advance fees for services that the businesses never intended to render. Nazer, and others that he had recruited for this scheme, made a series of false claims to victims, including that Nazer’s businesses would help the owner market his or her timeshare; that they had identified buyers to purchase the timeshare; that they would facilitate the sale of the timeshare; and that they would refund the advance fee within a prescribed time period if the timeshare sale did not go through.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has violated one or more federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.         

This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services - Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily C. L. Chang.