A resident of Mountain View faces indictment for allegedly misrepresenting his military deployment to secure over $300,000 in special compensation from his employer, according to federal prosecutors.
Omar Naziry, 40, has been charged with mail fraud and theft of government property, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California, as announced on Friday.
Naziry’s workplace, whose name remains undisclosed, had a policy in place to provide additional compensation to employees who took military leave. Prosecutors stated that the policy, established following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, aimed to ensure that employees serving in the military would not experience any decrease in their income.
In 2016, Naziry sought the pay differential, asserting that he was being deployed abroad. According to prosecutors, he provided the company with fraudulent military orders along with a counterfeit military leave and earnings statement.
He kept receiving additional compensation for several years based on assertions that his deployment had been prolonged. In 2021, the company announced that Naziry had exceeded the five-year threshold for differential pay.
The company was confronted with a letter from someone claiming to be an army officer, warning them of negative publicity if they decided to sever ties with Naziry.
“I highly recommend you overturn this decision you’ve made or at least have a plan in place for how to mitigate the negative effects of the story,” the letter said. ” I hope you can take timely action to avoid this PR disaster.”
Naziry faces a charge of one count related to mail fraud. Prosecutors indicated that if found guilty of mail fraud, he could be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years behind bars and face a financial penalty of $250,000.
He faces additional charges in a different indictment related to the unlawful acquisition of government funds, specifically for receiving $35,093 in housing assistance payments. Prosecutors indicated that if found guilty, he could be sentenced to a decade behind bars and hit with a fine of $250,000.
