A scammer in California scammed immigrants for money: he pretended to be an FBI agent and promised to help with visas

After a four-day trial on March 4, a federal jury found Ivan Isho, 44, of Peoria, Arizona, guilty of wire fraud, falsely impersonating a federal officer, and stalking, U.S. Attorney Philip A. Talbert said, reports US Department of Justice.

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According to evidence presented in court, in 2016 and 2017, Isho posed as an FBI agent and told members of the Assyrian community on Ceres that he could help them obtain visas for their family members living outside the United States.

To mislead his victims, he showed them his fake FBI documents and a gun. He was paid thousands of dollars, including by interstate wire service, and provided with copies of personal family papers. However, Isho was unable to obtain visas and never assisted in obtaining visas for family members of the victims. Isho never worked for the FBI.

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In addition, between April 2017 and April 2018, Isho, posing as an FBI special agent, harassed a woman by sending threatening messages to her and her husband.

At his trial, Isho testified and stated that he only had fake FBI IDs as part of his Halloween costume, despite audio recordings of voicemails that confirm he was posing as a real FBI agent.

The scammer also admitted to threatening and harassing the victim using profanity.

This case is the result of a Federal Bureau investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura D. Withers and Laura Jean Berger are handling the case.

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U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd will hand down Isho's verdict on May 31, 2022. He faces the maximum statutory sentence of five years in prison and a $250 fine. However, the actual sentence will be determined at the discretion of the court after considering any applicable statutory factors for sentencing, which take into account a number of different circumstances.

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