Mexican Nationals Arrested and Charged in Million-Dollar Real Estate Scheme

SAN DIEGO –Victor Hugo Villalobos Almazan and Nayeli Noemi Montoya Rodriguez, both Mexican nationals, were arrested by federal agents Tuesday and charged with fraudulently selling properties they did not own.

The defendants were taken into custody upon their arrival at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston after arriving from Mexico. They appeared in federal court in Houston today to face wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft charges. An identity and detention hearing is scheduled for Wednesday in Houston.

According to the complaint, the defendants pretended to be the owners of vacant or undeveloped plots of real estate and sold the properties to unwitting third parties by forging signatures of notaries and wiring the proceeds abroad to bank accounts in Mexico and Jordan. According to the complaint, the defendants netted nearly $1 million from two illegal real estate sales.

The complaint alleges that between March and April 2023, Villalobos impersonated the recorded owner of a parcel of vacant land in San Diego for purposes of selling the property and collecting the proceeds. Villalobos allegedly opened a bank account in his own name, with the indication that he was “doing business as” the entity that was the recorded owner of the real property. Villalobos then directed the escrow company to wire the proceeds from the sale into his bank account and then wired nearly all of the illicit proceeds to bank accounts in foreign countries.

Photo evidence shows Villalobos dropping off forms necessary to complete the fraudulent sale of the real property at the escrow company responsible for facilitating the sale.

According to the complaint, Montoya executed a similar scheme in March 2023. She impersonated the recorded owner of real estate with a vacant structure, selling it for approximately $400,000. The complaint said she opened a bank account in her own name, “doing business as” the recorded owner of the property, and directed the proceeds of the sale into that account. Once the proceeds were deposited, Montoya wired most of the money into foreign bank accounts within days. She also withdrew several thousand dollars of the money at various ATMs in San Diego. She was seen on bank surveillance cameras withdrawing money from the account, both alone and with Villalobos.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Beeler and David Kete.

DEFENDANTS                                              Case Number 25-mj-6506-AHG                            

Victor Hugo Villalobos Almazan                   Age: 48                                   Mexico

Nayeli Noemi Montoya Rodriguez                Age: 48                                   Mexico

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Wire Fraud Conspiracy – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1349

Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine

Aggravated Identity Theft – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1028A

Maximum penalty: Two years in prison, consecutive to the underlying felony

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Homeland Security Investigations

Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations

*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.