Man gets 14 years in check scam

Jeff Donaldson

Wednesday, May 18, 2005 | 9:11 a.m.

A California man found guilty in January 2004 of being part of a conspiracy to pass $800,000 in counterfeit checks at the MGM Grand was sentenced to more than 14 years in prison late Monday.

A jury last year found Jimmy Leung guilty of conspiracy, possessing counterfeit securities, fraudulent use of false identification and bank fraud.

Leung and Aziz Massomipour were indicted in connection with trying to pass the checks on June 13, 2002. An undercover Metro Police detective posed as someone who was going to help pass the checks. The men thought the detective worked for the MGM, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

Massomipour fled after he was released from jail and remains a fugitive, said a U.S. attorney's spokeswoman, Natalie Collins.

"This is a pretty substantial sentence. Leung was the leader of the group" of seven men believed to be involved in the plot, Collins said.

The checks were drawn on a fictitious California bank branch in Pomona, Calif. The plan was for Leung and Massomipour to keep half of the money from the cashed checks, with the other half going to the detective, who was playing the role of casino host, court documents show.

Fake Discover cards and driver's licenses were used in the attempt to get the checks cashed.

Four other men, who were to act as runners and cash the checks at the casino, also were charged in the case, and all pleaded guilty to possessing counterfeit securities. A seventh man was recommended for pretrial diversion and could have his charges dropped.

Leung also still faces conspiracy charges for a similar counterfeiting scheme in Michigan, Collins said.