A man in New York City who pleaded guilty to a visa scam has agreed to pay restitution to four victims from whom he stole over $100,000 in the scheme, authorities said Wednesday.

Olimzhon Turdialiev, 39 and of Bay Parkway in Brooklyn, pleaded guilty to criminal possession of stolen property and subsequently made restitution of $92,000 to four victims, according to a joint statement by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, joined by New York City Police Department Commissioner Keechant Sewell and Special Agent-in-Charge of the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service New York Field Office Keith J. Byrne.

According to the charges, from September through November 2016, Turdialiev met with four separate Queens residents of the Uzbek community and claimed that he would be able to obtain U.S. visas for relatives living abroad in exchange for cash.

“The victims in this case included members of the immigrant community desperately trying to reunite with their loved ones in America," Katz said. "Scammers and fraudsters who take advantage of fraught situations for their own financial gain will face justice in Queens County, no matter how long it has been since the crime took place. In pleading guilty, the defendant has taken responsibility for scamming four individuals who sought a better life for themselves and their loved ones. The defendant has now made restitution and is on notice that this criminal behavior will not be tolerated.”

According to Katz, the first victim paid $32,000 to have her four relatives mail their Uzbek passports and a provided application to an address in Ukraine. Thinking they would be provided visas after Turdialiev shared a photocopy of the visas with the victim following the payment, the relatives did not receive their expected document. It was later discovered that the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) intercepted a package in Moldova containing Uzbekistan passports belonging to the family of the first victim along with fraudulent U.S. visas.

The second victim allegedly paid a total of $49,000 on three separate occasions for her two sons and brother living in Uzbekistan to get U.S. visas in October 2016. Turdialiev allegedly sent a photocopy to the second victim that appeared to show the passports now containing a valid U.S. visa. However, upon receiving their passports, the relatives abroad found the visas provided were fakes because of the physical appearances of the documents.

According to court documents, subsequently, on October 2016, a third victim paid a total of $17,000 for a visa for her brother-in-law in Uzbekistan. Her relative was allegedly instructed to provide his passport and an application to an associate of Turdialiev's in Uzbekistan, but the brother-in-law never received his passport or visa.

A fourth victim in November 2016 provided Turdialiev with $17,000 in cash for a visa for her brother living in Uzbekistan, according to prosecutors citing court documents. The relative never received his passport after mailing the documents as instructed. In February 2017, Turdialiev agreed to return the Uzbek passport back to the victim but never provided the cash paid.

Turdialiev was arrested months later on Sept. 8, 2017 and weeks later, on Oct. 24, 2017, Turdialiev was indicted by a grand jury in a nine-count indictment charging him with criminal possession of stolen property in the second degree, two counts of grand larceny in the third degree, criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree and scheme to defraud in the first degree.

He subsequently fled following his initial arrest. In June 2022, Turdialiev was charged with grand larceny in Clackamas County, Oregon and was subsequently identified as a defendant in a case in Queens County. Upon the conclusion of the Oregon case, Turdialiev was extradited back to New York City to face charges on Aug. 8.

On Monday, Turdialiev pleaded guilty to criminal possession of stolen property in the fifth degree and agreed to provide restitution in the amount of $92,000 to four victims, accounting for nearly 80% of the stolen funds.

“Mr. Turdialiev targeted vulnerable people in his own community, betraying their trust for profit. The NYPD and our law enforcement partners will continue to aggressively pursue anyone who seeks to defraud others, holding them fully accountable for their actions," Sewell said.