A former congressional candidate from Los Angeles County has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for crafting a scheme with his mother and friend to embezzle more than $250,000 from his campaign.
The Department of Justice said Omar Navarro, 37, used $100,000 to pay for trips to Las Vegas and to defend himself against criminal stalking charges. He also admitted to spending the money on Nintendo Switch video games, according to federal prosecutors.
Between 2016 and 2022, Navarro ran in four elections to represent California's 43rd Congressional District, which covers LA County's South Bay, including Inglewood, South LA, and Torrance, according to the Justice Department.
Between 2016 and 2022, Omar Navarro, 37, ran four unsuccessful campaigns for the House of Representatives. Getty Images
Beginning about a year after his first campaign, Navarro defrauded his campaign committee by funneling cash to himself from July 2017 to February 2021, according to the DOJ. Navarro used campaign funds to pay his mother, Dora Asghari, 61, and his friend Zacharias Diamantides-Abel, 37, for their apparent work on the campaign.
After taking their cut, Asghari and Diamantides-Abel sent the money back to Navarro, according to the DOJ.
Federal prosecutors said he lied in his disclosures to the Federal Election Commission and had others file false reports claiming the payments were for campaign expenses.
Navarro's campaign received more than $1 million from donors across the United States, according to the DOJ. Navarro's scheme funneled about $268,932 away from his campaign, according to the DOJ.
He pleaded guilty in June 2025 to one count of wire fraud. Ashghari pleaded guilty in June 2025 to making false statements to the FBI. Diamantides-Abel pleaded guilty in May 2025 to one count of conspiracy and awaits sentencing.
According to FEC records, Navarro ran as a Republican candidate. His most recent attempt was in 2022. He lost to incumbent Rep. Maxine Waters, garnering 22.7% of the vote compared to Waters' 77.2%, according to records from the California Secretary of State.