Attila Colar, Bank Fraud, California 2023

OAKLAND – In a shocking turn of events, a federal jury convicted Attila Colar, aka Dahood Sariff Bey, aka Sharieff Dahood Bey, aka Saharieff Pasha, aka Georgi Petrakov, of 44 counts of bank fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, false statements to a bank, destruction of property to prevent a search, possession of a firearm as a felon, making a false tax return, obstruction, and witness tampering on June 23, 2023.

Colar, 51, of Richmond, Calif., is the former Chief Executive Officer of All Hands on Deck in Richmond, Calif., a residential reentry home for probationers, parolees, homeless persons, and persons with mild mental illness.

The guilty verdicts followed a three-week jury trial before the Honorable Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr., U.S. District Judge.

Colar carried out multiple schemes to defraud, including defrauding organizations that placed residents at his company’s transitional housing facilities and defrauding several lenders that were participating in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The jury also found that Colar attempted to destroy evidence, obstructed the FBI’s and grand jury’s investigations into his crimes, and tampered with a witness by attempting to conceal a witness while law enforcement was taking steps to execute a material witness order.

“The evidence in this case demonstrates that during his various fraud schemes, Colar trafficked in multiple people’s identities,” said U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey. “He targeted some of the most marginalized and dispossessed persons in our community. Their badly needed cash went into the defendant’s pocket. In the end, the defendant manipulated the very people who came to him for help.”

Colar attempted to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program of $34 million intended to help honest businesses in need during the pandemic, said FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp. “Today’s verdict should serve as a warning to fraudsters like Colar that the FBI and our government partners will continue to pursue those who have exploited government programs for personal gain and stolen from American taxpayers.”

Defendant: Attila Colar
Criminal Charges: 44 counts of bank fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, false statements to a bank, destruction of property to prevent a search, possession of a firearm as a felon, making a false tax return, obstruction, and witness tampering
City and State: Oakland, California
Exact Date: June 23, 2023
Sentence or Outcome: Convicted
Dollar Amounts: $34 million

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