Federal Grand Jury Returns Indictments
Posted/updated on: October 4, 2012 at 5:35 pm
TYLER – A former Tyler auto dealer has been named in one of multiple indictments returned this week by a federal grand jury in Tyler. The indictments were announced Wednesday.
A superseding indictment was returned against Mohammad Moosa Yahya, a/k/a Muhammad Moosa Yahya, 36, of Tyler. He has been charged with multiple counts of wire fraud and engaging in monetary transactions with criminally derived property in connection with an investment scheme. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both, and supervised release of not more than 3 years.
The superseding indictment alleges that beginning no later than May 2011, Yahya devised a fraud scheme related to investments made in EMN Global Trading, a Texas corporation that operated a used car dealership located in Tyler, under the name Tyler Automax. Yahya, who has served as president of the company since approximately 2004, solicited individuals to invest in the business by representing that their funds would be used to purchase vehicles that would then be sold by the dealership. Yahya further represented that the investors would be paid profits from those vehicle sales. Instead, Yahya misappropriated the wired investment funds for his own personal use and benefit.
In another case, Allen Ray Curtis, 37, of Malakoff, was indicted on charges of failure to register as a sex offender. If convicted, he could receive imprisonment of not more than 10 years and a fine of not more than $250,000, or both. In addition to the term of imprisonment, if convicted, Curtis will receive a term of supervised release of not less than five years or up to life and a mandatory special assessment of $100.00.
Victor Vasquez, 34, of Fairfield, Texas, was indicted on charges of possession of an unregistered firearm, felon in possession of a firearm, and felon in possession of ammunition. If convicted, he could receive imprisonment of up to 3 years and a fine of not more than $250,000, or both for each charge. In addition, the defendant will receive a term of supervised release of not more than 3 years and a mandatory special assessment of $100.00 for each charge.
