The Department of Justice announced Feb. 23, a Republican from the South Bay who ran unsuccessfully against Rep. Maxine Waters four times and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and promoting QAnon conspiracy theories, was sentenced to four years in federal prison for misusing campaign funds.
Omar Navarro, 37, pleaded guilty in June to a single count of wire fraud for defrauding his own election campaign. The perennial candidate had raised hundreds of thousands of dollars through the years from prominent right-wing figures while promoting QAnon conspiracy theories but never cracked 25% of the vote.
He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mark C. Scarsi, who ordered Navarro immediately remanded into federal custody. A restitution hearing will be scheduled at a later date to determine how much money Navarro must pay to compensate victims.
From July 2017 to February 2021, he funneled tens of thousands of dollars in donations to his campaign committee back to himself through his mother, Dora Asghari, and friend Zacharias Diamantides-Abel, prosecutors said. In total, his scheme diverted around $266,00 in campaign funds, more than $100,000 of which went directly into his pocket, prosecutors said.
The other two people connected to the case were also criminally charged.