bugscufle
01-20-2007, 08:48 AM
Muhammad Aslam, a 31-year-old native of Pakistan, admitted that from April 2004 to August 2006 he illegally used 250 credit cards to steal $105,000 at three stores he operated: the Convenient Food Mart, Corner Quick Stop, and Austin Food Mart. For part of that time Aslam also was a federal informant.
According to court records, Aslam came to the United States in 1997 and became a naturalized citizen after marrying Diana Aquino, a citizen, about five years ago. The couple has a 4-year-old child.
In 2003, Aslam became a federal informant, ratting on some associates to help FBI and IRS agents make their case in a multi-million-dollar illegal gambling and money laundering investigation that targeted a network of game rooms and convenience stores in Austin.
In exchange for immunity in the case, Aslam told the agents about the convenience stores he operated that were owned by Tariq Majeed, who has since been indicted, along with 14 others in the case.
As part of the plea deal, investigators agreed not to pursue charges in federal and state court related to other crimes they suspected Aslam committed. According to court documents and testimony, he is suspected of frequently buying stolen gasoline, cigarettes, alcohol and other goods to sell at his stores. Since 2002 he has reported just $1.1 million in receipts for sales tax purposes to the state comptroller, even though more than $8 million went in and out of his bank accounts in that time.
Some of that cash was sent to Pakistan, where Aslam has family, court documents show. It is unclear how it was spent.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/01/20/20fraud.html
According to court records, Aslam came to the United States in 1997 and became a naturalized citizen after marrying Diana Aquino, a citizen, about five years ago. The couple has a 4-year-old child.
In 2003, Aslam became a federal informant, ratting on some associates to help FBI and IRS agents make their case in a multi-million-dollar illegal gambling and money laundering investigation that targeted a network of game rooms and convenience stores in Austin.
In exchange for immunity in the case, Aslam told the agents about the convenience stores he operated that were owned by Tariq Majeed, who has since been indicted, along with 14 others in the case.
As part of the plea deal, investigators agreed not to pursue charges in federal and state court related to other crimes they suspected Aslam committed. According to court documents and testimony, he is suspected of frequently buying stolen gasoline, cigarettes, alcohol and other goods to sell at his stores. Since 2002 he has reported just $1.1 million in receipts for sales tax purposes to the state comptroller, even though more than $8 million went in and out of his bank accounts in that time.
Some of that cash was sent to Pakistan, where Aslam has family, court documents show. It is unclear how it was spent.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/01/20/20fraud.html