Criminal Cases

Charity CEO Convicted of 44 Offenses Including Bank Fraud, Witness Tampering

Charity CEO Convicted of 44 Offenses Including Bank Fraud, Witness Tampering

Attila Colar, former CEO of charitable organization All Hands on Deck, has been convicted on 44 criminal charges including bank fraud, wire fraud, witness tampering, and aggravated identity theft. 

According to an official release from the IRS, Colar -- who also went by the aliases Dahood Sariff Bey, Sharieff Dahood Bey, Saharieff Pasha, and Georgi Petrakov -- was found guilty following a three-week-long jury trial with U.S. District Judge Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr. presiding. 

GettyImages-1423983078_resized_courtroom
Credit: dowell/Getty Images

Colar's organization, All Hands on Deck, based in Richmond, California, was a residential reentry home for individuals on probation or parole, homeless persons, and those with mild mental illness conditions. The jury's verdict confirmed that Colar carried out multiple fraud schemes, including defrauding organizations that placed residents at his housing facilities and defrauding multiple lenders for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Trial evidence indicated that in 2018, Colar specifically attempted to defraud GEO Reentry, a company that provided treatment and supervision programs for adult probationers and parolees as contracted by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). Then, in 2019, Colar scammed GEO Reentry into referring parolees to All Hands on Deck facilities using false documents, including a fake fire inspection report, fraudulent clearance reports, and fake letters of recommendation and staff details. 

In regard to PPP loan applications, court documents indicate that Colar submitted 16 fraudulent loan requests to the PPP program for approximately $34,655,437 in funds.

Additionally, per the jury's decision, it was determined that Colar knowingly attempted to destroy evidence, obstructed an FBI investigation into his criminal conduct, and engaged in witness tampering by attempting to conceal a witness while law enforcement officials tried to execute a material witness order. 

GettyImages-1359249224_resized_police
Credit: Douglas Sacha/Getty Images

Numerous law enforcement officials have spoken out about the case. 

IRS Criminal Investigation Division Special Agent in Charge Darren Lian of the Oakland Field Office stated, "Mr. Colar abused the tax system by submitting fraudulent federal employment tax returns and W-2s to further a scheme he devised and orchestrated that aimed at defrauding the U.S. government of funds designed to help businesses that were impacted by the pandemic under the CARES Act."

"IRS-Criminal Investigation will continue to provide resources to help uncover and prosecute such egregious acts," Lian continued. "I want to thank those on the trial team, including our federal law enforcement partners and U.S. Attorney's Office for diligently working together to serve justice."

Jon Ellwanger, Special Agent in Charge, Western Region, Office of Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau also spoke out, "The brazen fraud scheme committed in this case simply for personal gain harmed legitimate businesses in need. This conviction sends a clear message that those who defraud the federal government of pandemic relief funds will be held accountable and brought to justice for their actions."

Ellwanger concluded, "I commend our agents and their federal law enforcement partners for their hard work and persistence, which ultimately led to this conviction."

GettyImages-88623064_resized_jail
Credit: Image Source/Getty Images

Colar faces a maximum sentence of 220 years in prison. His sentencing is slated for September 6, 2023. 

What do you think about Colar's laundry list of crimes?

You Might Also Enjoy:

Feature Image Credit: Mint Images

share this post
Search for matches...
Rebekah Barton

Rebekah Barton

Rebekah's search engine optimization career began completely by accident as a college student. Over the course of her career so far, she has "grown up" with the SEO industry, from writing content while juggling classes to managing her own teams of writers and overseeing SEO strategy in subsequent roles. She is excited to bring her passion for high-quality content to CountingWorks, Inc.

Recommended Professionals

In the face of economic uncertainty, TaxBuzz is the industry's most up-to-date tax information.

Join 60,000 who get our weekly newsletter. No spam.

Need help selecting a firm?

Use our specialized search engine and get matched to the best accounting and tax firm for your needs.

Related Posts

Latest Posts