Ahmad K. Bachay, Fraud and Witness Tampering, Washington 2026

A 40-year-old San Diego man has been sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for his role in a massive insurance scam.

Ahmad K. Bachay, 40, of San Diego, California, was sentenced on May 21, 2026, to a 36-month term of imprisonment for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and witness tampering, in the Eastern District of Washington.

According to court documents, Bachay was part of a scheme to defraud insurance companies and obtain money and property by staging automobile accidents and filing false and fraudulent claims with insurance companies. The scheme, which began in 2019, was uncovered by an investigation led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

As part of the investigation, the FBI used a confidential human source who provided information to the agency regarding violations and suspected violations of federal criminal laws. The source covertly recorded conversations with individuals suspected of being involved in the staged accident scheme.

In May 2020, the FBI executed search warrants at residences in Washington and California for evidence of federal crimes. Bachay and others involved in the scheme attempted to identify the confidential human source, and Bachay made verbal threats against the individual, including threatening to kill their family in Iraq.

Bachay, who was considered a federal fugitive after leaving the United States with his family in 2021, was arrested in the United Kingdom on May 17, 2024. He was extradited back to the United States and made his initial appearance in federal court on May 21, 2024.

“Staged collisions, like those involved in this case, make our streets dangerous, unnecessarily divert first responders’ attention and resources, and increase insurance premiums for all of us,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Pete Serrano. “Bachay’s attempts to undermine justice by threatening to kill others and moving halfway across the world were unsuccessful thanks to our federal and state law enforcement and private industry partners who worked tirelessly to hold this fraud perpetrator accountable.”

Bachay was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $400,805 and forfeit $85,277. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, with the assistance of the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edwa/pr/defendant-sentenced-36-months-fraud-and-witness-tampering