A failed congressional candidate with a fondness for QAnon conspiracy theories and Donald Trump has been sentenced to four years in federal prison on fraud charges.
Omar Navarro, 37, made a name for himself by repeatedly failing to unseat Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters from Congress, only to later be accused of helping himself to campaign funds. He was charged with embezzling approximately $250,000 from his political campaign in a scheme involving his mother and a friend, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said in a statement.
Navarro was indicted on 43 federal charges in 2023, including 13 counts of wire fraud, 26 counts of falsifying records, three counts of prohibited use of campaign funds, and one count of conspiracy. He pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in June 2025.
“Navarro knew and understood that campaign funds raised by him and others for his campaign were restricted to supporting his election efforts and could not be used for his own personal use or enjoyment,” the statement read.
Over his four congressional runs between 2016 and 2022, Navarro conspired with his mother, Dora Asghari, 61, and his friend, Zacharias Diamantides-Abel, 37, to convert campaign donations for personal use.
Both Navarro’s mother and friend pleaded guilty to their individual charges, with Asghari facing up to five years in prison at her April sentencing hearing.
“To use these funds for personal use and to fund his lavish lifestyle, Navarro illegally transferred campaign checks to himself by sending payments to Asghari and Abel,” federal prosecutors said in the statement.
“Navarro’s scheme deprived the campaign and its donors of approximately $268,932 in campaign funds,” they said.
The Republican candidate is said to have used his donors’ money for trips to Las Vegas, Nintendo Switch video games, a private investigator, and personal criminal defense lawyers as he faced previous legal troubles.
In 2019, Navarro was arrested for felony stalking, criminal threats, and attempted extortion related to his ex-girlfriend and conservative activist DeAnna Lorraine Tesoriero, after he appeared near her apartment despite a restraining order issued against him earlier that year.
“I think a lot of this power has gotten into his head. He has a lot of money now from campaign donations,” Tesoriero told the Daily Beast at the time.
Navarro eventually pleaded guilty to a stalking charge and was sentenced to six months in a San Francisco jail, claiming he only pleaded guilty because he would have become a “political prisoner” otherwise.
The 37-year-old was also convicted in 2016 for attaching an illegal electronic tracking device to his then-wife’s car and was sentenced to 18 months of probation.
