Morganville man given 15-year prison sentence

The president of Access Inc. of USA was sentenced on Jan. 13 to 15 years in prison for operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business and conspiracy to cause failure to file currency transaction reports.

U.S. District Judge Joseph Greenaway also ordered Syed Azhar, a resident of the Morganville section of Marlboro, to pay fines totaling $25,000 and to serve three years on supervised release after his release from prison.

“Today’s sentencing is a direct result of the excellent partnership IRS (Internal Revenue Service), ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office have in combating violations of federal law,” said William P. Offord, Special Agent in Charge IRS-Criminal Investigation, Newark Field Office. “This sentence should serve as a deterrent to those who might contemplate similar fraudulent actions.”

Previously, on June 18, 2009, Azhar was convicted by a federal jury of all three counts charged in a superseding indictment. According to evidence introduced at trial, Access Inc., located in the Iselin section of Woodbridge, Middlesex County, was a money transmitting business licensed to do business in the state of New Jersey.

Neither Access Inc. nor Azhar had a license from the state of New York authorizing it or him to engage in money transmitting in the state of New York. Link to Link Inc., Kashmir Money Inc., a business variously known as Fast Money Services or Fast Global Services, and a fourth business (“Another Business”) (hereinafter collectively referred to as the “New York businesses”) were engaged in the business of money transmission in the state of New York.

None of the New York businesses had a license from the state of New York or any other state authorizing them to engage in the direct transmission of money.

Each of the New York businesses received currency in the state of New York from customers who wished to transmit funds to persons and entities located in other countries. Each of the New York businesses delivered currency to Azhar that it had received from its New York customers who wished to transmit funds to persons and entities in other countries, principally Pakistan.

From in or about January 2001 through on or about June 17, 2003, Azhar transmitted to Pakistan more than $101 million that he had received from the New York businesses. In doing so, the jury convicted Azhar of operating and aiding and abetting the operation of an unlicensed money transmitting business or businesses in the state of New York.

The jury also convicted Azhar of conspiracy to cause failure to file currency transaction reports. It was part of the conspiracy that in the course of their money transmitting business Azhar and the New York businesses sometimes received currency in excess of $10,000 from others. Neither Azhar nor the New York businesses filed the required currency transaction reports concerning transactions in currency in excess of $10,000. In fact, Azhar prepared and caused to be prepared documentation that falsely indicated that currency had been received by him, according to information provided by the IRS.

Parole has been abolished in the federal system. Defendants who are given custodial terms must serve nearly all that time.

The investigation was conducted by IRS-Criminal Investigation, Newark Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge William P. Offord and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Peter T. Edge and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, under the direction of U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman.