Former California congressional candidate gets 4 years for campaign fraud scheme involving mother

CALIFORNIA – The U.S. Department of Justice announced Feb. 23 that a former California congressional candidate was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison for embezzling about $250,000 from his campaign.

Prosecutors said Omar Navarro, 37, of Torrance, carried out the scheme with the help of his mother and a friend. He pocketed more than $100,000 in cash and spent the funds on personal expenses, including trips to Las Vegas and legal fees related to criminal stalking charges.

Navarro knew campaign funds were restricted to election use

Navarro ran unsuccessfully in four elections from 2016 to 2022 to represent California’s 43rd Congressional District in the U.S. House.

According to court documents, Navarro defrauded his campaign committee, Omar Navarro for Congress, from July 2017 to February 2021 by funneling campaign funds to himself.

Navarro knew federal law required his campaign to publicly disclose all funds raised and spent.

As a congressional candidate, Navarro knew campaign funds were for election purposes and could not be used for personal expenses.

Nevertheless, Navarro conspired with his mother, Dora Asghari, 61, of Torrance, and friend Zacharias Diamantides-Abel, 37, of Long Beach, to divert campaign donations for personal use.

From 2018 to 2020, Navarro’s campaign raised more than $1 million from donors nationwide who backed his congressional bid.

To fund personal expenses and a lavish lifestyle, Navarro funneled campaign checks to himself by routing payments through Asghari and Abel under the guise of campaign work.

Asghari and Abel then returned the money to Navarro, keeping a portion for themselves.

Money funded trips, Nintendo Switch games

To advance the scheme, Navarro listed Abel, Asghari and others as payees on campaign checks and later falsely reported to the Federal Election Commission that they — not he — had been paid for services.

For example, in November 2019, Navarro wrote a $2,500 campaign check to his mother for little or no campaign work, knowing she would return much of it to him for personal use.

Asghari cashed the check, triggering an interstate wire transfer.

She returned most of the money to Navarro, who made three cash deposits totaling $2,340 into his personal bank account.

Navarro also wrote thousands of dollars in campaign checks to Brava Consulting, a company owned by his mother, falsely claiming they were for campaign work while funneling most of the funds back to himself for personal expenses.

The money funded trips to Las Vegas, Nintendo Switch games, a private investigator and personal criminal defense attorneys.

Diverted about $268,932 in campaign funds

In his plea agreement, Navarro admitted spending at least $12,822 in campaign funds on legal fees to defend a criminal stalking case.

Navarro did not disclose to the FEC or donors that the payments were for personal expenses. Instead, he had others file false reports listing them as campaign costs.

In total, the scheme diverted about $268,932 in campaign funds from the campaign and its donors, prosecutors said.

He pleaded guilty in June 2025 to one count of wire fraud.

Navarro was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mark C. Scarsi, who ordered him remanded into federal custody. A restitution hearing will be set at a later date.

Mother faces up to five years in prison

Asghari pleaded guilty in June 2025 to one count of making false statements for lying to the FBI in September 2020. She claimed she never received campaign funds or returned money from checks made out to Brava Consulting.

She faces up to five years in federal prison at her April 13 sentencing.

Abel pleaded guilty in May 2025 to one count of conspiracy and is awaiting sentencing.