Chester Man Pleads Guilty to $1.9 Million Embezzlement Scheme

RICHMOND, Va. – A Chester man pleaded guilty today to mail fraud for embezzling over $1.9 million from his employer.

According to court documents, between 2015 and 2023, Bahram Khosropanah, 65, devised and repeatedly executed a scheme to misappropriate technology assets from his employer for his own personal gain. Khosropanah held senior positions at a Richmond-based company that operates convenience stores across the country. His role focused on information technology, and he was responsible for purchasing computers and other electronics for the company. Upon receiving invoices for certain purchases, Khosropanah made unauthorized material modifications to the invoices before submitting them to his accounting department for approval. 

Through these modifications, Khosropanah was able to misappropriate computers and electronics and conceal his misappropriations. He then sold the misappropriated assets on eBay and to a third-party wholesaler without the knowledge or consent of his employer. The defendant sold approximately 850 laptops and other electronics, causing a loss of over $1.9 million to his employer. Khosropanah used the proceeds from the fraudulent sales to purchase luxury cars, including a Ferrari.

Khosropanah is scheduled to be sentenced on November 2. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Summer L. Speight accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Day and Kashan K. Pathan are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-95.