Belgian-Moroccan Man Sentenced to 5 Years for $1.6M Charity Fraud Scheme in US

Arrested in 2018 by Moroccan authorities before being extradited to the United States, the Belgian of Moroccan origin was prosecuted by an American court for his alleged involvement in defrauding American charities.

The 37-year-old man was posing as a benefactor who offered financial assistance to American charitable associations and non-profit organizations.

In December 2015, he had promised financial assistance to a charity organization responsible for underprivileged children, near Seattle in the state of Washington. Posing as a British architect, he had committed to sending them $30,000.

In January of the following year, a check for $39,850 had reached the association, before receiving an email asking them to return the amount, sent by mistake, which was intended for the family of a little girl supposed to be operated on during the week.

The next day, the fake architect sent a second letter to the association, asking them to make a bank transfer, on the pretext that the girl had to be operated on urgently. The management of the association complied immediately, before discovering that the check was uncovered.