of a whole series of charges involving the theft of mail which was then used to steal the addressees’ identity information and then their funds.
Pejouhesh has a police record going back over the years. He now faces a two-year mandatory prison term and possibly as much as 30 years when he is sentenced in July.
Assistant US Attorney F. Andino Reynal told the jury, “Once he stole their mail, he stole their identities, and then he went to the bank.”
During a two-day trial last month, the prosecution presented evidence from 12 witnesses. It said that altogether 500 people were impacted by Pejouhesh’s fraud scheme.
When investigators pinpointed Pejouhesh, they obtained a search warrant for his Houston apartment where they found $22,000 in cash, $20,000 in gold, stolen mail and fraudulent credit cards.
Pejouhesh was convicted on all the counts against him—four counts of bank fraud, one count of possession of stolen mail and three counts of aggravated identity search. The stolen mail charge carries a mandatory two-year sentence.
Pejouhesh has operated a fire extinguisher servicing company in Houston. Court records show once he was charged with posing as a fire marshal and threatening retailers while inspecting fire extinguishers. He has previous charges or convictions for driving while intoxicated, driving with a suspended license and impersonating a public servant.