Danville Man Convicted Of Wire Fraud And Identity Theft

OAKLAND – Behzad Talai Mofrad pleaded guilty in federal court in Oakland today to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, announced United States Attorney Melinda Haag.

In pleading guilty, Mofrad admitted to utilizing the means of identification of J.W., a real, but missing, person, to obtain false identification. Mofrad also admitted to using the false identification to fraudulently lease a 2013 BMW M3 coupe automobile from an Alameda County car dealership. Mofrad had planned to sell the M3 for money but was arrested before doing so.

Mofrad, 47, of Danville, was charged by Information on April 9, 2013. He was charged with two counts of wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343, and one count of aggravated identity theft in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1028A. Under the plea agreement, Mofrad pleaded guilty to all counts.

Mofrad sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 3, 2013, before The Honorable Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, U.S. District Judge, in Oakland, California. The maximum statutory penalty for each wire fraud count in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343 is 20 years’ imprisonment, and a fine of $250,000. In addition, the mandatory penalty for aggravated identity theft is two years’ imprisonment. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

Rodney C. Villazor is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting the case with the assistance of legal assistant Vanessa Quant. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Berkeley Police Department.