Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Grand jury indicts Plano man with mail fraud and making false statements in used car sales

By Pegasus News wire

 

A federal grand jury in Dallas indicted Massoud Mortazavi-Koupai of Plano with six counts of mail fraud and three counts of making a false statement on transfer of a used motor vehicle, related to a fraudulent scheme which included concealing structural damage and odometer discrepancies. It is anticipated that Mortazavi-Koupai, 46, will surrender to federal authorities and then appear before a U.S. magistrate judge.

The Agency contends that the respondent acquired assets from the proceeds of unlawful activity connected to money laundering. The case was referred to the Agency by South Wales Police who were investigating the sale of large quantities of small 'hi-tech' items via the internet and who had gained a restraint order over Mr Shen's assets - monies held in seven different accounts. He failed to answer bail and has since indicated that he has no intention of returning to the UK so South Wales Police were unable to proceed with a prosecution.

Jane Earl, Director of the Assets Recovery Agency said, "The Agency is fully committed to recovering the proceeds of crime at all levels. In this case the police were unable to proceed as the respondent has fled the jurisdiction. Even though this is a relatively small amount ARA is using its unique powers to take action through the civil courts to recover assets that could not have been funded from legitimate income. "
 

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