Thaindian News

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA (BNO NEWS) – The owner of Glass Emporium of Marin, headquartered in Oakland, California was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, nine counts of wire fraud and one count of obstruction of justice, prosecutors said on Monday.

Glass Emporium of Marin is an automobile glass replacement company with more than 60 stores across the nation under the names of Glass Pro and Glass Masters.

Mehrdad Hakimian, 48, of Mill Valley, California, conspired to defraud insurance companies by misrepresenting the type and price of windshields installed and by overcharging companies for moldings and parts that weren’t used. The fraudulent scheme took place from 1999 to 2006.

Hakimian also destroyed and concealed documents for the purpose of impeding an ongoing FBI investigation into him and his company. Just before trial, he pleaded guilty to two counts of harboring illegal aliens, one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud, and nine counts of visa fraud, and two counts of concealing undocumented foreign employees from U.S. immigration officials.

The investigation began in 2005, when an employee in a Tennessee store reported that she believed fraud was occurring at the Glass Emporium Oakland corporate office.

The defendant is awaiting sentence. It is scheduled for June 11. Hakimian faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison for each count in violation of wire fraud.

Last year, former Glass Emporium employee Aldy Antonio pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and Bobby Guinto, who is currently employed at Glass Emporium, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. Recently, Glass Emporium Vice president Emma DeGuzman pleaded guilty to one count of harboring an illegal alien and one count of visa fraud.