Amir Hossein Golshan, a 24-year-old man from Downtown Los Angeles, pleaded guilty to three felony charges: one count of unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information, one count of wire fraud, and one count of accessing a computer to defraud and obtain value. He is facing a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for just the wire fraud charge. He could also receive five years in federal prison for each of the computer access charges.

Hacking into Social Media to Get Money

Between April 2019 and February 2023, Golshan purposefully conducted multiple online schemes to steal money from hundreds of victims. Altogether, he was able to steal $740,000 over the years.

To commit his illegal acts, Golshan had various online scams running and infiltrated victims' digital accounts, including their social media, Zelle banking accounts, and impersonating Apple support.

In the SIM-swapping scheme, he would actively get a cell service carrier to reassign a cell phone number from a legitimate subscriber's SIM card to a SIM card he controlled without their permission. From there, he took control of the victim's various accounts using two-step authentication text messages. When he used these tactics on social media and locked users out of their accounts, he would send messages demanding payment for the return of the accounts.

In the Zelle merchant fraud scheme, Golshan advertised fake Instagram services to individual victims and had them pay him anywhere from $300-$500 in return. Golshan perpetrated many other fraudulent schemes through the years. The total value of monies he received is about $82,000, but he also stole an NFT valued at about $319,000 and about $70,000 of cryptocurrency.  

Hiring a Skilled Defense Attorney

If you or a loved one has been accused of cybercrime, especially those involving fraud, you need a strong defense. Attorney Vitaly Sigal of Sigal Law Group can help. He has spent years of his career helping defendants navigate all types of criminal charges with great success. Call 818-325-0571 today or schedule a free consultation online.