Mohammad Bajwa, 40, of Herndon, Virginia was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release in connection with his conviction by a federal jury on Oct. 21, of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and committing wire fraud in connection with a personal mortgage refinancing application, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein announced.
The jury under U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams, Jr. also ordered Bajwa to forfeit his home and $3.5 million in cash.
According to trial testimony, Bajwa operated a money transmitting business that accepted cash from individuals in Virginia and elsewhere for transmission to Pakistan and other countries.
Bajwa wired the monies to overseas banks and used his brother and others in Pakistan to deliver the money to recipients. Between 1999 and Aug. 13, 2002, Bajwa wired and caused to be wired more than $6 million overseas. During the entire time, however, Bajwa transferred money overseas without first obtaining the proper license from the Virginia State Corporation Commission, thereby avoiding the reporting requirements necessary to obtain such a license.
In addition, in late 2001, Bajwa sought to refinance his home at 1302 Summerfield Drive, Herndon, Virginia, and submitted, in connection with his application for the loan, false corporate and individual tax returns for 1999 and 2000.
Bajwa was previously convicted in April of 2005 in the same court of immigration fraud and was sentenced to 2 years in prison.
The Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation division investigated for two years and Assistant U.S. Attorneys David I. Salem and Chan Park prosecuted the case.