Iranian man living in Houston gets prison for mail, ID theft

Friday, December 07, 2012

HOUSTON -- An Iranian man living in the Houston area has been sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for stealing mail, setting up fake identities and financial fraud.

Prosecutors in Houston say Hassan Ali Pejouhesh took advantage of the U.S. postal system and about 500 people were affected by the scheme.

A jury in April convicted Pejouhesh of four counts of bank fraud, one count of possession of stolen mail and three counts of aggravated identity theft. A federal judge on Thursday sentenced him to a total of 247 months behind bars. The court also ordered payment of nearly $218,000 in restitution.

The 63-year-old Iranian national has been in custody since 2010 when authorities discovered stolen mail, fake credit cards and cash in his apartment.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?id=8911833