(StraightNews.org) – A GOP activist with ambitions to enter Congress has been indicted for misusing campaign funds and funneling donations to personal accounts. Omar Navarro, a frequent challenger for the seat held by Democrat Maxine Waters, faces 43 criminal counts for re-routing campaign funds to family and friends. FBI agents also arrested his mother, Dora Asghari, and friend, Zacharias Diamantides-Abel. Both are accused of conspiracy.
The 45-page indictment charges Navarro with 13 counts of wire fraud, 26 counts of falsification of records, and three counts of misusing campaign funds. His mother was charged with six counts of wire fraud, and Diamantides-Abel with three. All defendants face a single count of conspiracy.
Navarro has run against Waters four times but initially raised sparse funds. In his first attempt, he amassed a mere $2,846, but subsequently, with the help of some famous faces, that figure jumped to more than a million dollars in 2018.
Trump confidante Roger Stone began advising Navarro, and he appeared several times on the popular podcast of Alex Jones. When Waters rose to national prominence for calling for Trump’s impeachment, MAGA GOP members put their funds into trying to unseat her.
During one appearance on Alex Jones’ “Infowars,” Navarro said, “If people really want to take a jab at Maxine Waters and everything she’s saying against President Trump, donate to my campaign.”
A couple of stunts also increased attention for the Republican. For example, alongside a mariachi band, he announced one of his candidacies outside Waters’ home, and footage of the event went viral. He also called the Secret Service when Waters said she would “take Trump out.”
He was approached by the FBI in 2018 when he posted a letter online, ostensibly written by Waters, saying the Congresswoman wanted to bring tens of thousands of Somali migrants to live in her District. The document appeared to contain Waters’ signature and even a Congressional seal, but it was fake. Navarro said he received the letter from an unknown source.
Copyright 2023, StraightNews.org
