Fresno business owner indicted in fraud case. It’s not the first time he’s been charged

A federal grand jury has indicted a Fresno man on four counts of fraud worth at least $90,000.

It’s the latest case to be brought against Marcus Asay.

A second fraud case is set for trail in November, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release Friday.

The latest indictment charges Asay with making false tax returns in 2016-2018 and concealing his job status from the Social Security Administration in order to get disability benefits.

During those years, Asay worked as the chairman of American Labor Alliance, which paid Asay for personal expenses, including more than $50,000 to dating and escort websites and $120,000 in rent for personal residences.

Asay reported little taxable income in those years, even though he knew his taxable income was more than $50,000, the justice department said.

Asay also received Social Security disability benefits beginning in 2010, the justice department said, and continued to receive those benefits from 2016-2019, while he was working full time with the company.

Asay concealed the job and received more than $90,000 for himself and a dependent.

If convicted of filing a false tax return, Asay faces three years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000 for each count. He faces an additional five years and prison and a $250,000 related to the Social Security benefits fraud.

Asay could also be looking at an additional 20 years and $250,000 if convicted in the separate fraud case, the justice department said.

In that case, Asay and another Fresnan, Antonia Gastelum, are charged with using the American Labor Alliance to providing workers’ compensation coverage and issuing Certificates of Liability to clients that included names of insurers and false policy numbers. The alliance allegedly collected more than $2.8 million million in workers’ compensation premiums in 2016-2017.

The company was given a cease-and-desist order in 2016 because it was not properly registered with the state Insurance Department and its policies were invalid.

This story was originally published June 10, 2022 at 10:35 AM.