A former congressional candidate from Torrance, California, was sentenced to four years in federal prison for embezzling approximately $250,000 from his campaign. Omar Navarro, 37, was ordered by United States District Judge Mark C. Scarsi to begin serving his sentence immediately. A restitution hearing is scheduled for a later date.
Navarro pleaded guilty in June 2025 to one count of wire fraud after prosecutors said he diverted campaign funds for personal use between July 2017 and February 2021. He ran unsuccessfully in four election cycles from 2016 to 2022 for California’s 43rd Congressional District.
Court documents show that Navarro conspired with his mother, Dora Asghari, and friend Zacharias Diamantides-Abel to move money from his campaign committee through payments made under false pretenses. These payments were reported as compensation for campaign work but were largely returned to Navarro after Asghari and Abel took their share.
Prosecutors stated that “from 2018 to 2020, Navarro’s campaign received more than $1 million in contributions from donors across the United States who supported his election to Congress.” They allege that the scheme involved checks written out to Asghari and Abel or companies controlled by them. The money was then funneled back to Navarro for personal expenses including Las Vegas trips and legal fees related to a criminal stalking case.
“For example, in November 2019, Navarro wrote a $2,500 campaign check to his mother for little or no work that she performed for the campaign, knowing she would funnel a substantial amount of that money back to him for his personal use,” according to court records. Asghari cashed the check and provided most of the funds back to her son.
Navarro also used Brava Consulting—a company owned by Asghari—as part of the scheme. Prosecutors detailed how these activities led him to spend at least $12,822 on legal fees with funds not reported as personal expenses either to donors or on filings with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Instead, others filed false reports claiming they were legitimate campaign expenditures.
The total amount misappropriated through this scheme reached nearly $269,000.
Asghari pleaded guilty in June 2025 to making false statements after lying during an FBI interview about receiving money from her son’s congressional campaign. She faces up to five years in prison at her sentencing hearing scheduled for April 13. Abel pleaded guilty in May 2025 to conspiracy charges and awaits sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation with support from the California Fair Political Practices Commission. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Frances S. Lewis, Thomas F. Rybarczyk, and Juan M. Rodriguez.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California serves more than 19 million residents across seven counties and works closely with law enforcement partners on public safety matters such as this case.
