A Mountain View man has been indicted for falsely claiming that he was deployed on military service to obtain more than $300,000 in special pay from his employer, federal prosecutors said.
Omar Naziry, 40, a former employee of a global security and aerospace company, is charged with mail fraud and theft of government property, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California said.
Naziry’s employer, which was not identified, had a policy of paying a differential to any worker who went on military leave. The policy, instituted after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, was intended to see that employees on military service suffered no reduction in income, prosecutors said.
In 2016, Naziry requested the pay differential, claiming he was deploying overseas. He sent the company false military orders and a false military leave and earnings statement, prosecutors said.
He continued to receive differential pay over the next several years on claims that his deployment had been extended. In 2021, the company said Naziry had run through the five-year limit on differential pay.
In response, the company received a letter from a purported Army officer threatening the company with bad publicity if they cut Naziry off.
“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 is charged with a single count of mail fraud. If convicted of mail fraud, he faces as much as 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, prosecutors said.
He is also charged in a separate indictment with theft of government property for obtaining $35,093 in housing assistance payments. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, prosecutors said.
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