A Dallas man was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 31 for allegedly orchestrating a fraudulent scheme involving solar panel sales and obtaining homeowner loans without consent, according to an Aug. 4 announcement from United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Ryan Raybould.
Andres Jesus Linares‑Rea, 27, faces two counts of wire fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft. The indictment alleges that Linares‑Rea contracted with solar engineering, procurement and construction companies to market and install rooftop solar panels. He is accused of selling these systems door-to-door and assisting customers in securing financing through a fintech lender.
According to the indictment, between September 2022 and December 2024, Linares‑Rea submitted loan applications using the names of unsuspecting homeowners without their knowledge or consent. In some cases, he electronically signed loan agreements or added co-borrowers without authorization. He allegedly misled homeowners by claiming that the solar panels were “free” due to government subsidies or their financial status. The indictment also details instances where loans were obtained despite explicit refusals from homeowners.
Once funded, the lending company transferred proceeds to Solar EPC contractors who then paid commissions to Linares‑Rea based on these unauthorized transactions. Specific interstate wire transfers cited include $71,754.79 on November 19, 2023, and $57,173.25 on March 14, 2023—both allegedly obtained without victims’ consent.
Linares‑Rea is also charged with aggravated identity theft for allegedly using electronic signatures belonging to Victim 1 and Victim 2 without lawful authority as part of this scheme. If convicted, he faces up to twenty years in prison for each wire fraud count and two years for each aggravated identity theft count; criminal forfeiture is also sought in the indictment.
The FBI Dallas Office conducted the investigation while Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marty Basu and Elise Aldendifer are prosecuting the case. “An indictment is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence,” states the release: “All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.” The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas covers approximately eight million residents across a large region from facilities including its main office at Earle Cabell Federal Building in Dallas as well as branch offices in Fort Worth, Lubbock, Amarillo and Abilene; it employs around one hundred attorneys and staff members responsible for prosecuting federal crimes and managing civil litigation within its jurisdiction area as part of the Department of Justice, according to the official website.