After reaching a settlement with federal authorities over fraud, a conservative candidate who has been a regular on local election ballots for years may have to permanently give up on politics.
As part of a plea deal, Omar Navarro, a failed four-time congressional candidate who was accused of embezzling thousands of dollars in campaign cash for his own use, entered a guilty plea to one count of wire fraud on Wednesday.
In his unsuccessful campaigns against Rep. Maxine Waters, Navarro raised hundreds of thousands of dollars thanks to the support of prominent Republican and right-wing politicians like Roger Stone, Alex Jones, and former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio. However, Navarro was unable to secure a congressional seat.
However, the 2023 Republican candidate was accused of 43 charges of wire fraud and campaign fund misuse, using his mother and a close acquaintance to transfer tens of thousands of dollars for his own use.
Navarro’s controversial political career came to an end when he agreed to plead guilty to a single count of wire fraud, a felony that entails forfeiting his right to vote and hold office. Despite never winning an election, Navarro was able to amass hundreds of thousands of dollars in political donations and garner the support of individuals such as Michael Flynn and Herman Cain.
Navarro’s lawyer, David Evans, opted not to comment.
Politics
On suspicion of misusing campaign funds during his four unsuccessful bids to unseat Representative Maxine Waters, Republican Omar Navarro has been indicted.
According to the original allegation, Navarro only received campaign funds. However, prosecutors claim that he transferred over $100,000 in cash to his personal accounts between January 2018 and July 2020.
Investigators discovered that Zacharias Diamantides-Abel, 34, and Navarro’s mother, Dora Asghari, 59, frequently cashed campaign contributions. They frequently took money out of their bank accounts as soon as checks were deposited so they could give it to Navarro.
Federal prosecutors claimed that Navarro paid for his legal defense in a stalking case in 2020 and took trips to wine region and Las Vegas using funds from campaign donations.
The initial complaint claims that between December 2017 and June 2020, Diamantides-Abel and Asghari collected $49,260 and $58,625 from Navarro’s unsuccessful efforts, respectively.
Asghari entered a guilty plea on Wednesday to lying to the FBI while they were conducting their investigation. In response to one count of conspiracy to conduct wire fraud, Diamantides-Abel entered a guilty plea. At a later time, both will receive their sentences.
However, Navarro had other ways to profit from contributed money besides his mother and friend. According to federal prosecutors, Navarro created the United Latino Foundation, a phony nonprofit, in order to embezzle funds for his own benefit.
After running against Waters in 2016, he garnered more notoriety in 2018, 2020, and 2022. He routinely garnered less than 25% of the vote in elections despite his fame.
Additionally, Navarro has been a vocal admirer of President Donald Trump and has used his social media profiles to spread conspiracy theories.
In 2020, Navarro advocated Pizzagate, the conspiracy that a pizza place in Washington, D.C., was complicit in child sex trafficking, on social media and shared the QAnon conspiracy’s tagline on Twitter. In the end, that conspiracy notion resulted in a shooting.
California
A Houston man who made threatening phone calls to Rep. Maxine Waters’ district office was given a sentence of almost three years in jail by a judge.
Navarro said on social media earlier this month that the accusations against him were made for political reasons.
I posted on X, “I really need help.” I don’t know anyone who could be of assistance. The entire case has political motivations. My sole transgression is opposing [Maxine Waters] and pursuing a congressional candidacy.
Navarro’s legal troubles have previously coincided with his attempts to run for office, so this is not the first time he has encountered legal issues.
He was given a day in jail and 18 months of probation in Orange County in 2016 for installing a tracking device on his ex-wife’s vehicle.
Following footage of him in the backseat of a car during a pro-sanctuary cities rally in Cudahy, where the driver and another passenger pepper-sprayed individuals, he resigned as a traffic commissioner for Torrance in 2017.
He uploaded a phony letter in 2018 saying that Waters planned to resettle Somali refugees in her Los Angeles district, which prompted the FBI to approach him.
He was arrested in 2019 for breaking a restraining order his ex-girlfriend had secured against him when he was seen outside her home.
