A federal grand jury has indicted a Mexican citizen residing in Fresno on charges of bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and illegal re-entry of a removed person, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

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The indictment, returned on Feb. 27 and unsealed following the arrest of Sergio Zacarias Lopez, 57, on Thursday, alleges that between January 2016 and June 2023, he embezzled more than $1 million while working as the accounting supervisor and controller for a Fresno fruit wholesaler.

Prosecutors say Lopez wrote multiple company checks payable to cash and deposited them into his personal bank account, forging the signatures of employees with signatory authority, including one of the company’s founders.

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Lopez allegedly used a stolen Social Security number and falsified employment documents to obtain his accounting position. According to the indictment, he was previously removed from the U.S. in 2000 and had not been authorized to return.

The FBI and the Fresno Police Department investigated the case.

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If convicted, Lopez faces up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine for bank fraud, prosecutors said.

The illegal re-entry and identity theft charges each carry a maximum two-year sentence. Any sentence would be determined by the court based on statutory factors and federal sentencing guidelines.

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