SoCal man once stole a billionaire's identity, then he set his sights on surfers, prosecutors say

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A convicted bank robber — who also once stole the identity of one of the world’s richest men in order to pocket his $1.4-million tax refund — now awaits sentencing for a different kind of fraud scheme, one that targeted Southern California surfers.Moundir Kamil, 56, was the mastermind behind a nearly $1-million scheme that targeted surfers while they were catching waves, according to federal prosecutors.Orange County resident Kamil, along with accomplices Jordan Adams and Jennifer Pruneda, pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, attempted bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Sentencing for Kamil is expected to take place Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles.According to court documents and media reports, Kamil and his co-conspirators burglarized vehicles to steal credit cards, debit cards, phones and other forms of identification to later make fraudulent purchases, including luxury items and expensive electronics, totaling at least $850,000.The larceny took place across various Southern California beaches including Pacific Palisades, Malibu and Manhattan Beach, as well as beaches in San Diego County and other popular surfing spots, from April 2021 through December 2022.In one case reported by a Newport Beach surfer, he discovered that someone had taken his keys from his beachside apartment and used them to steal his wallet and phone from his car while he surfed.The thief was later identified and alleged to be part of an organized crime ring led by Kamil.

The scheme also involved lookouts who would watch where surfers would stash their keys before they hit the waves; then a partner in crime would grab the key and break into the car, taking phones and wallets.Kamil was able to hack facial recognition software on phones to get into the victims’ apps, prosecutors said.

The thieves would then empty out bank and other accounts.When credit card compa...