A former congressional candidate from Torrance, California, was sentenced to four years in federal prison for embezzling campaign funds through a scheme involving his mother and a friend. Omar Navarro, 37, received the sentence from United States District Judge Mark C. Scarsi and was immediately taken into custody. The court will hold a restitution hearing at a later date.
Navarro pleaded guilty in June 2025 to one count of wire fraud. He had run unsuccessfully for Congress in California’s 43rd Congressional District during four election cycles between 2016 and 2022.
Court documents state that between July 2017 and February 2021, Navarro misappropriated approximately $250,000 from his campaign committee by channeling funds through his mother, Dora Asghari, and friend Zacharias Diamantides-Abel. Federal law requires campaigns to publicly disclose all receipts and expenditures.
Despite knowing that campaign funds could not be used for personal expenses, Navarro conspired with Asghari and Abel to divert donations for personal use. From 2018 to 2020, Navarro’s campaign collected over $1 million in contributions from donors across the country. Navarro then transferred campaign checks to Asghari and Abel under the guise of payment for campaign work; they would return most of the money to him after keeping a portion.
To conceal these actions, false statements were made on campaign checks and in reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), stating that others—not Navarro—received payments for services rendered.
One example cited is a $2,500 check written by Navarro to his mother in November 2019 for little or no actual work performed. After cashing the check, Asghari returned most of the funds to Navarro, who deposited $2,340 into his personal bank account. Additional checks were written to Brava Consulting—a company owned by Asghari—for purported campaign work but were largely funneled back for Navarro's personal use.
The misused funds covered expenses such as trips to Las Vegas, video games, private investigators, and legal fees related to criminal defense cases. In his plea agreement, Navarro admitted using at least $12,822 of campaign money on legal fees connected with a stalking case.
Navarro did not report these expenditures as personal expenses either to the FEC or donors; instead he caused false reports representing them as legitimate campaign costs.
Prosecutors said that approximately $268,932 was taken from the campaign and its donors as part of this scheme.
Asghari pleaded guilty in June 2025 to making false statements after telling FBI agents she never received any money from her son’s congressional campaign or provided him any money obtained through Brava Consulting. She faces up to five years in prison at her sentencing scheduled for April 13.
Abel pleaded guilty in May 2025 to one count of conspiracy and is awaiting sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation division with assistance from the California Fair Political Practices Commission. The prosecution team included Assistant United States Attorneys Frances S. Lewis (General Crimes Section), Thomas F. Rybarczyk and Juan M. Rodriguez (Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section).
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California prosecutes federal crimes like this case while also handling civil matters on behalf of the government across seven counties serving more than 19 million residents in Southern California. The office works closely with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies on public safety initiatives while supporting victim assistance programs and community outreach efforts under U.S. Attorney E. Martin Estrada.
