A federal jury convicted a 44-year-old Arizona man on Friday of wire fraud, impersonating a federal officer and criminal harassment in Fresno.
According to trial evidence, Ivan Isho, 44, of Peoria, Arizona, posed as an FBI agent and told residents of Assyrian descent from the San Joaquin Valley community of Ceres that he would help them obtain visas for relatives living outside the United States.
Additionally, the charging documents stated that Isho received $6,700 from his victims to facilitate the visa process. However, Isho kept the money without helping victims obtain visas in 2016-17.
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Never an FBI employee
As part of the fraud, Isho showed fake FBI credentials and a gun to his victims. He was never employed by the FBI, prosecutors said.
Isho also harassed a female victim and her husband with repeated phone calls and emails in which he threatened the couple, according to a Justice Department press release.
During the four-day trial, Isho spoke out and claimed he only used the fake FBI credentials as part of a Halloween costume, directly contradicting the evidence presented at trial. .
Sentencing scheduled for May 31
Isho is due to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd on May 31, 2022. He faces up to five years in prison.
The FBI investigated the case. US Attorneys Laura D. Withers and Laura Jean Berger are the prosecutors.
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