Egyptian Fugitive Extradited from Spain Admits Role in Defrauding Rideshare Company Publisher: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Jersey Dateline: Newark, New Jersey Date: 10 July 2024 Subjects: American Government , Crime, Taxicabs & Limousines

NEWARK, N.J. – An Egyptian citizen extradited to the United States on wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges today admitted defrauding a peer-to-peer rideshare company out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent referral fees, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.

Hatem Ghouneim, 35, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler in Newark federal court to an indictment charging him with three counts of wire fraud.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From January through December 2019, Ghouneim engaged in a scheme to defraud a technology company that operates a rideshare service. By creating fraudulent accounts and using stolen identities, Ghouneim induced the victim company to pay him referral fees for each new fraudulently created account. Through the scheme, Ghouneim defrauded the company of hundreds of thousands of dollars in referral fees.

The wire fraud charges each carry a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 13, 2024.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea. He also thanked the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the FBI Attaché’s Office in Spain for their assistance, as well as the government of Spain for their substantial assistance arresting and extraditing Ghouneim to the United States.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shontae D. Gray of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.

Updated July 10, 2024

Press Release Number: 24-260

Date	Document	Details
11 February 2021 filing date	United States of America V. Hatem Ghouneim	Indictment ( PDF) 229KB · 8 pages Court: United States District Court, District of New Jersey