VISTA, Calif. — A North County loan shark who extorted money from people in the Latino community has avoided prison time after changing his plea to guilty.
Hamze Mohamed Karnib, named Alex Karnib, was arrested at his San Marcos home in December 2020.
At the time, the FBI put out a bulletin saying he preyed on Latinos throughout San Diego County.
Now, more than two years later, before ever going to trial, the case is finally ending.
In Vista court Monday, on day one of trial, Karnib's attorneys appeared on his behalf, announcing a plea deal had been reached.
Karnib pleaded guilty to extortion and making criminal threats; In return, the charges dropped to a misdemeanor. Karnib avoided jail time thanks to 13 days already served; however, he will be on a year-long probation.
As part of the deal, Karnib also agreed not to seek reimbursement for the money his victims owed, which totaled 50,000 dollars.
The loan shark made cash loans to multiple victims.
He demanded repayment well over the amounts borrowed by his victims, then intimidated and threatened borrowers who could not meet his payment demands.
Despite what happened in court, the judge ordered Karnib to appear in person next week, where he'll be officially served with criminal protective orders taken out on behalf of his victims-orders the judge said Karnib needs to abide by starting now.
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