McLean, Virginia Man Sentenced to 54 Months For Funding Lavish Parties Through Counterfeit Business Checks
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Azar Bruner, 39, of McLean, Va., was sentenced today to 54 months in prison, followed by 4 years of supervised release, for using a counterfeit business check scheme to throw lavish house parties that caused substantial losses to area victims.
Neil MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and David Beach, Special Agent in Charge for the Washington Field Office of the Secret Service, made the announcement following sentencing by United States District Judge Claude M. Hilton. According to court documents, Bruner and his co-conspirators defrauded local businesses and individuals of thousands of dollars. Using a personal computer and printer, Bruner and his co-conspirators produced counterfeit checks in the names of prominent financial institutions, including The Carlyle Group and JPMorgan Chase. Posing as employees of these companies, Bruner and his co-conspirators used the counterfeit checks to rent numerous properties from homeowners in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. After renting these homes, Bruner and his co-conspirators would live in them and often use them to throw extravagant, raucous parties for their friends. Bruner and the co-conspirators purchased thousands of dollars of catered food and limousine services for the parties. In some instances, Bruner and others would steal personal belongings from the rented homes and cause significant damage to furniture and property. By the time the counterfeit checks were rejected, Bruner and his co-conspirators had consumed the catered food and vacated the properties. Bruner and his co-conspirators also stole personal checks from some homeowners, which they later used to pay for other services and merchandise, including a Mercedes Benz. In total, Bruner’s conspiracy caused more than $100,000 in actual losses and more than $180,000 in intended losses during his involvement in the scheme.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service. Assistant United States Attorney Chad Golder prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.
