Date: 01-12-2020

Case Style:

Case Number:

Judge: Douglas P. Woodlock

Court: United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts (Suffolk County)

Plaintiff's Attorney: Kristen Kearney

Defendant's Attorney:

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Description: Boston, MA - The United States of America charged Aref Zokita Said with fruad.

A Belgian man was sentenced for participating in an e-mail scam that used counterfeit cashier’s checks to defraud charities and law firms.

Aref Zokita Said, 37, of Belgium, was sentenced to 60 months in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,631,478. In October 2019, Said pleaded guilty to eight counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Beginning no later than August 2013, Said and his co-conspirators defrauded law firms and non-profits, including charities, by sending them fraudulent cashier’s checks and convincing them to wire money to members of the scheme, with the false assurance that the fake checks would cover the expense. Once the checks were discovered to be fraudulent—after the victims’ bank accounts were debited—the victims were left with thousands of dollars in losses, having unwittingly forwarded their own money to a member of the conspiracy.

Outcome: Defendant was sentenced to 60 months in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,631,478.

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