Poupak Jannissar, a Canadian man, was arrested at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida in January. He pleaded guilty in a federal court in Las Vegas on July 30 to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. The Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed that Jannissar, a 52-year-old resident of Quebec, Canada, operated several fraudulent companies under various names, including Computer Run, EBooks, Joreeb, Memo Storage, Our Online Backup, You Can Fax Too, and Your E-Library.
These companies posed as providers of internet-based services such as cloud storage, internet faxing, and online books. However, they were found to be entirely fictitious and served as fronts to facilitate the theft of funds from victims’ bank accounts. Jannissar was accused of creating and using false documents, including fabricated invoices, contracts, and financial statements, to support fraudulent claims.
The use of these false documents was crucial to the scheme as they provided a sense of legitimacy and were used to deceive victims and financial institutions into parting with their money. The indictment alleged that Jannissar conducted various financial transactions to obscure the origins of the illicitly obtained funds.
These transactions involved moving funds through different bank accounts, both domestic and international, to make it challenging for authorities to trace the money back to its illegal source. Jannissar was arrested following a criminal complaint and arrest warrant issued by U.S. Magistrate Judge Brenda Weksler in the District of Nevada.
He was subsequently indicted on the charges and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Andrew P. Gordon. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton emphasized the severity of the crime, stating that the Justice Department will use all available tools to apprehend and prosecute criminals who steal from Americans, regardless of their location.
Jannissar faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each charge, with the final sentence to be determined by a federal district judge.
