JOHNS CREEK, GA – Aziz Choukri, 59, of Johns Creek, Georgia, has confessed to a calculated scheme that left a 79-year-old retiree nearly penniless. Choukri pleaded guilty to wire fraud on June 16, admitting he swindled the victim out of approximately $650,000. The case, investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, highlights a growing trend of predators targeting vulnerable seniors.
According to court documents, Choukri met the victim at a fitness facility in Alpharetta, Georgia, in 2016. He then systematically cultivated a relationship built on trust, a tactic commonly employed by con artists. Choukri convinced the elderly man to invest nearly $650,000 in his music management company, falsely promising a risk-free investment with guaranteed returns – a lie that proved devastatingly effective.
The promises didn’t stop at a simple return on investment. Choukri brazenly told the victim he’d not only recoup his money with interest, but also receive a staggering $1,000,000 payout. However, the funds weren’t funneled into a legitimate music venture. Instead, they were diverted to fuel Choukri’s lavish lifestyle. The Secret Service investigation uncovered a pattern of blatant self-enrichment.
Court records reveal Choukri spent the stolen money on a wide range of personal expenses. This included everyday costs like fast food, gas, and ride-sharing services, as well as significant expenditures on his family – his daughter’s college tuition and sorority fees, dental work for his girlfriend, and even payments for tutoring and babysitting. He also used the victim’s money to repay a personal loan and transferred substantial sums to his children’s accounts, withdrawing thousands more in cash. In 2016 and 2017, almost all of Choukri’s income originated from the victim.
“Fraud schemes targeting the elderly are a particularly egregious type of fraud that often deplete the victims’ entire life savings,” stated U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. Special Agent in Charge Steven Baisel of the U.S. Secret Service Atlanta Field Office echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the agency’s commitment to prosecuting those who exploit vulnerable citizens. “Those who prey on the vulnerable and cheat them out of their life savings…will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Aziz Choukri is scheduled to be sentenced on September 14, 2022, before U.S. District Court Judge Eleanor L. Ross. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Angela Adams and Tal C. Chaiken are leading the prosecution. This case is part of the Department of Justice Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force, which focuses on combating foreign-based scams that disproportionately impact American seniors. Victims of elder fraud are encouraged to visit https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice/senior-scam-alert for more information.
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Key Facts
- Agency: U.S. Secret Service
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Press Release
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