Michael Mazar, 39, of Hollywood, Florida, is done. The former Bureau of Prisons correctional officer pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, caving under federal pressure tied to a sprawling fraud operation run from inside the Federal Detention Center in Miami.
Mazar, who worked as a correctional officer at the Miami facility from July 2009 to April 2017, crossed the line in February 2017 when he smuggled multiple cellular telephones to inmate James Sabatino. Those phones became weapons—tools Sabatino used to impersonate film and music industry insiders, duping retail and jewelry store employees into shipping high-end merchandise across South Florida and beyond.
The scam was slick and wide-reaching. Sabatino, locked up but still pulling strings, conned victims into sending handbags, luxury watches, designer apparel, and jewelry—all shipped at his command. The stolen goods went to co-conspirators outside, who flipped them at pawnshops and jewelry stores across the region. Mazar didn’t just enable it—he profited, taking cash, jewelry, and merchandise, all stashed at his home.
The operation escalated to interstate levels. Sabatino, still incarcerated, ordered Mazar and others to haul millions in fraudulently obtained jewelry—valued at over $3 million—to Atlanta, Georgia. Mazar personally transported a cut of the proceeds from Atlanta back to South Florida, laundering greed through state lines.
Sabatino, already deep in the federal system, pleaded guilty to racketeering in Southern District of Florida case number 16-20519-CR-Lenard. On November 13, 2017, he got 20 years. Now Mazar faces the same fate—up to 20 years behind bars under 18 U.S.C. § 1349. Sentencing is set for May 30, 2018, before U.S. District Judge Marcia G. Cooke.
The takedown was led by U.S. Attorney Benjamin G. Greenberg, FBI Miami Special Agent in Charge Robert F. Lasky, and DOJ-OIG’s Robert A. Bourbon. Prosecutors Christopher Browne and Nalina Sombuntham are handling the case. Court records are available via the Southern District of Florida’s public docket at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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