HOUSTON (AP) - Federal prosecutors say a Houston-area man charged in the 2012 shooting death of an Iranian student who was a women’s rights activist has also been charged with fraud.
Officials said Friday that Ali Irsan, his wife and his 30-year-old daughter have been charged with conspiracy to defraud the U.S., theft of public money and benefits fraud. Prosecutors say it was the federal fraud investigation that led to Irsan being charged Thursday in state district court in the shooting death of 30-year-old Gelareh Bagherzadeh (geh-LAH’-reh bag-HUR’-zah-deh).
Her body was found in her car after it crashed into a Houston townhome.
The federal criminal complaint alleges Irsan and his wife falsified documents to receive Social Security disability benefits with help from his daughter.
Online jail records don’t list an attorney for Irsan.
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