Lawyer sentenced to 24 years in prison for defrauding the Lebanese community

Lawyer Juan José Nassar Güell, accused of a $5 million (around ¢3,402 million) scam against the Lebanese community in Costa Rica, was sentenced to 24 years in prison by the San José Criminal Court.

Nassar, 45 years old and former president of the Lebanese House, was found guilty of 12 crimes of major fraud and two of major fraud in ideal contest with two of ideological falsehood. Although the sentence in total added 87 years in prison, he was readjusted to 24 years.

On the other hand, this Tuesday the judges acquitted him for the illicit fraudulent administration, but determined that Nassar had to pay $2.2 million (¢1.540 million at the exchange rate of this May 24, 2022) and ¢111 million as part of the civil action for compensation claimed by those affected.

The accused events occurred between 2012 and 2018, a period in which Nassar contacted friends and family to offer them investments in banks and the stock market with exaggerated returns.

After eight years, Nassar gave investors supposed profits that actually came from the money given by the other victims.

One of those affected would have lost $500,000 (¢340.2 million), while an uncle of Nassar would have given $400,000 (¢272.2 million) under the promise that he would enjoy a preferential rate for him.

The prosecutor Rocío Alfaro Blanco explained during the trial that when the fraudulent scheme became unsustainable, Nassar began to call and send emails to his victims to explain what had allegedly happened, even indicating that he had fallen into insolvency.

[ Fiscalía pide 24 años de prisión para abogado sospechoso de estafar a comunidad libanesa ]

This trial, which began on March 17 of this year, was the second debate held for this cause and was led by judges Krycia Zamora Pérez, Nancy Marín Monge and Pedro Ramírez Sánchez.

A first debate was suspended because one of the assigned judges, Luis Carlos Castro, had been in charge in a previous phase of receiving evidence from this file, so they chose to cancel the debate and start a new one.

[ Segundo juicio busca resolver caso por supuesta estafa de $5 millones a comunidad libanesa ]

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