Tirmazi also had an IT equipment-related business, which made part of its money selling cables. Tirmazi bought some cables online that were unusually low-priced, and he later admitted he thought they might have been stolen, according to court records. He then sold the cables to Contreras for $55,400. The two men attempted to hide the undisclosed business relationship. Contreras wrote checks payable to other people, who cashed the checks for Tirmazi, according to the plea agreements.

Source: Los Angeles Times April 25, 2019 04:52 UTC