At a Glance
- Moundir Kamil faces a six years and three months prison term and restitution over $1 million.
- The scheme targeted surfers in San Diego County and other Southern California beaches, stealing cards and phones from parked cars.
- Victims lost $979,772.84 in bank accounts, investments, and crypto wallets.
Why it matters: The case highlights a novel method of identity theft that exploited beachgoers’ habits, revealing new tactics for fraudsters.
A convicted bank robber is expected to be sentenced in Los Angeles federal court Wednesday for running a nearly $1 million fraud scheme that targeted surfers at beaches in San Diego County and other Southern California areas. The plan involved lifting bank cards and phones from cars while surfers were catching waves.
The Scheme
Moundir Kamil, 56, of Orange County, pleaded guilty in September to one federal count each of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, attempted bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. Two co-defendants, Jordan Adams and Jennifer Pruneda, also pleaded guilty.
According to court documents and media reports, a member of the crime ring would watch surfers in San Diego County, Malibu, Manhattan Beach and elsewhere as they parked their cars and stashed their keys before paddling out. An accomplice on the beach would confirm that the surfer had entered the water and give the all-clear for a crime partner to steal the key and break into the car.
Once the thieves had a wallet and phone, they handed the items to ring mastermind Kamil, who was able to hack facial recognition software and gain access to the phone’s apps, according to federal prosecutors.
While surfers were locked out of their cars, the thieves would empty bank accounts, investment holdings, crypto wallets and other money-holding programs. In an especially devious twist, when credit card companies called to check for fraudulent activity stemming from a purchase at stores such as Chanel or the Apple Store, the thieves, who had possession of the phone, would simply answer and approve the charges, documents show.
Stolen bank cards were used to purchase high-end luxury goods and expensive electronics, which Kamil would resell for cash during the course of the scheme, which operated from April 2021 through December 2022, prosecutors said.
Legal Proceedings
When arrested, Kamil had pictures of hundreds of stolen credit cards and debit cards belonging to identity-theft victims, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which is asking that he be sentenced to six years and three months in prison and ordered to pay over $1 million in restitution and fees.
Court papers show Kamil, a Moroccan national whose residency status in the United States is unclear, has a long criminal history. The sentencing documents state:
> “Every single one of defendant’s prior convictions, which include bank robbery, bank fraud, receipt of stolen property, and vehicle theft, relate to larceny and fraud,” federal prosecutors wrote.
> “He additionally has a pending case for grand theft and second-degree burglary, which was committed while he was on supervised release for the (current) case. Even being supervised and tracked with location monitoring during a pending federal criminal case could not deter him from committing almost the identical scheme with new co-conspirators.”
> “This demonstrated history of recidivism, along with the nature of the instant offense that spanned over multiple years and involved multiple victims establish a deep entrenchment in criminal activity and defendant’s willingness to put his interests above that of society’s time and time again.”
Prosecutors say Kamil caused a loss of $979,772.84 to several financial institutions during the scheme.
Prior Convictions
In 2011, Kamil pleaded guilty to stealing a tax-refund check for more than $1 million from real estate mogul Donald Bren, the billionaire chairman of the Irvine Company. In addition to time served and three years of probation, Kamil was ordered to pay $1.1 million in restitution.
Before the theft from Bren, Kamil served 30 months in prison for a series of bank robberies in Orange County for which he was nicknamed the Give Me More Bandit, because of demands for extra cash from tellers.
Timeline of Events
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| April 2021 | Scheme begins targeting beachgoers |
| December 2022 | Scheme ends; victims begin reporting losses |
| September 2023 | Kamil pleads guilty to federal charges |
| Wednesday, 2024 | Sentencing hearing scheduled |
Key Takeaways
- The case demonstrates how identity thieves can exploit situational vulnerabilities, such as beach parking, to gain access to victims’ financial assets.
- Kamil’s extensive criminal history, including a prior $1 million tax-refund theft, influenced the sentencing recommendation.
- The federal prosecutors’ statement underscores the difficulty of deterring repeat offenders even when they are supervised.
The sentencing hearing will determine whether the requested six years and three months and restitution over $1 million are imposed, marking a significant penalty for a scheme that left victims with nearly one million dollars in losses.
