SAN FRANCISCO — A 40-year-old Mountain View man is facing allegations he lied about serving in the military to collect more than $300,000 in pay and benefits from his employer, according to authorities.
A federal grand jury indicted Omar Naziry in July, charging him with one count of mail fraud in connection with the scheme, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release Friday. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Naziry worked for a global security and aerospace company based in Bethesda, Maryland, but that had numerous locations throughout the country, including in Sunnyvale. The firm provided differential pay to employees who went on military leave, guaranteeing they would not experience a reduction in income due to their service.
Starting around August 2016, Naziry asked the company for differential pay on the basis that he was deploying in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, which sought to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, according to the indictment. He allegedly provided false military orders and a false military leave and earnings statement.
Differential pay was awarded to Naziry, and he continued to receive differential pay over the next several years on the purported basis that his deployment had been extended, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
As 2021 came to a close, the company told Naziry it was denying his request for additional differential pay because he had reached the five-year limit on the policy. He allegedly responded with a letter from a “friend” and “army officer” that recommended the firm reverse course or face the consequences of an unfavorable article.
“I hope you can take timely action to avoid this PR disaster,” the letter allegedly stated.
An investigation conducted by the company around March 2022 determined the military orders were falsified. When the firm set out to recover the pay and benefits, it received another letter, allegedly from Naziry’s wife, claiming he was in the Middle East and the orders were legitimate.
Naziry is facing additional legal trouble. He is charged in a separate indictment with one count of theft of government property for obtaining roughly $35,000 in housing assistance payments to which he was not entitled, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
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Source: www.mercurynews.com