A Huntington resident was sentenced Wednesday to 41 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Kamal Zafar, 53, participated in a scheme to target thousands of medical professionals or others with callers based in India clalming that the victims owed money to the Internal Revenue Service, the Social Security Administration or the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The victims were told that they would be arrested the next day if the debts were not immediately paid. After the victims wired payments to bank accounts that Zafar had opened or directed to be opened to receive the fraud proceeds.
Zafar was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $3.2 million and forfeiture of $232,362.
He pleaded guilty to the charge in June 2022, Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said.
The scheme netted over $2 million from victims across the United States. Zafar’s six co-conspirators previously pleaded guilty.
In January 2022, Ajay Sharma, the leader and organizer of the fraud scheme, was sentenced to 78 months in prison and others are awaiting sentencing.
Defendants Who Have Previously Pleaded Guilty:
AJAY SHARMA
Age: 44
Mumbai, India
ANKUR SHARMA
Age: 25
Bellerose, New York
RICARDO URBINO, also known as “Ricardo Urbina”
Age: 30
Queens, New York
HARPREET SINGH
Age: 33
Queens Village, New York
JAMAL ZAFAR
Age: 48
Huntington, New York
ARMUGHANUL ASAR
Age: 68
College Point, New York