ALEXANDRIA, VA – Donald Omar Fazel, 50, of Alexandria, is headed to federal prison for eight years after a sprawling scheme of fraud and deception culminated in a guilty plea and a harsh sentence handed down today. Fazel, also known as Rodney Dickerson, bilked investors and renters out of hundreds of thousands of dollars before attempting to illegally purchase a firearm while concealing a lengthy criminal history.
The Justice Department revealed Fazel pleaded guilty on January 25, 2017, to a four-count criminal information. The core of his operation revolved around Microsystems Technology USA (“MST”), a phantom technology company he pitched to blue-collar workers as a high-potential investment. Fazel raked in over $700,000, promising returns on technology projects purportedly under development for both foreign and domestic government agencies. The truth? MST was a complete fabrication – no assets, no operations, and absolutely no actual technology being developed. The funds were funneled into personal expenses, retail purchases, and used to pay off earlier investors in a desperate attempt to keep the con afloat.
But the investment fraud wasn’t enough. Fazel also ran a parallel rental scam, using an assumed identity to lease and then immediately re-list three properties. When unsuspecting renters responded to the ads and handed over cash deposits, Fazel vanished. Victims arrived on move-in day to find locked doors, unresponsive landlords, and shattered hopes. To add insult to injury, Fazel attempted to deposit a fraudulent check worth $45,000 into a SunTrust Bank account, drawn on an account that didn’t exist.
The scheme took a dangerous turn when Fazel attempted to purchase a firearm at a licensed gun shop in Woodbridge. He signed federal and state application forms, swearing under penalty of perjury that he had no prior felony convictions. This was a blatant lie. Fazel had five previous felony convictions, a fact he deliberately concealed to circumvent the law and acquire a weapon.
The sentencing was announced jointly by Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Superintendent of Virginia State Police; and Chief Humberto I. Cardounel, Jr., Henrico County Police Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Grace L. Hill and Jack Hanly successfully prosecuted the case, securing the eight-year prison term delivered by U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee.
This case serves as a stark reminder that those who prey on hardworking individuals and attempt to skirt the law will be held accountable. Court documents related to the case, including the press release, are available on the U.S. Attorney’s Office website for the Eastern District of Virginia and through PACER (Case No. 1:17-cr-4).
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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