UH Prof Omar Al Nasser Cops to $200K Drug Cash Scheme

HOUSTON — A University of Houston finance professor used his academic expertise to launder more than $200,000 in drug money tied to one of the largest synthetic cannabinoid trafficking operations ever uncovered in Texas. Omar Al Nasser, 37, of Sugar Land, pleaded guilty Friday to aiding and abetting an unlicensed money transmitting business, admitting he funneled U.S. currency to bank accounts in Jordan for criminal distributors.

The plea comes after a multi-year, multi-agency federal dragnet that exposed a sprawling network moving synthetic cannabinoids across the Southern District of Texas. Al Nasser, an associate of one of the operation’s key distributors, admitted he accepted payment to wire the illicit funds—money generated from the sale of dangerous, lab-made drugs that have flooded streets and prisons nationwide.

Despite holding a doctoral degree in business administration with a focus in finance from the University of Texas-Pan America—earned in 2009—Al Nasser chose to exploit his financial acumen for criminal gain. He is currently listed as an associate professor of finance within the University of Houston system, a position now under scrutiny as federal investigators detail his behind-the-scenes role in the narcotics pipeline.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson confirmed the plea, emphasizing that no title or degree shields individuals from accountability. ‘This wasn’t academic theory—it was real-world crime,’ Magidson said. ‘Al Nasser didn’t just teach finance. He weaponized it.’

Sentencing is set for Feb. 16, 2017, before U.S. District Judge Gray Miller, who accepted the guilty plea. Al Nasser faces up to five years in federal prison and a potential $250,000 fine. Federal authorities made it clear: laundering drug money is a felony, not a footnote on a résumé.

The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Houston Police Department, with critical support from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Conroe Police Department, Harris and Polk County Sheriff’s Offices, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, and the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Jocher and Nancy Herrera are prosecuting the case.

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