Ashrafi, pictured, was jailed for nine years last month for tricking people in Leicester out of at least £650,000 by using sleight of hand tricks and meaningless prayer sessions to promise his victims big lottery wins.
However, it is alleged Ashrafi – who called himself Kamal-Ji while he was in Leicester – left a trail of victims in North America in a similar fraud spree dating back to the late 1990s.
According to the Toronto Star, Ashrafi is alleged to have conned 34 Canadians of $1.2 million – or approximately £650,000 – and in America he allegedly took $6 million – more than £4 million – from dozens of ‘believers’.
The newspaper, which has been investigating Ashrafi’s activities in North America for several years, reported that US police records show officers in four states have received fraud allegations against Ashrafi. It reports that Ashrafi and an accomplice, who has never been traced, fleeced victims in the states of California, Texas, New Jersey and Illinois.
The Canadian authorities are in the process of applying for the 50-year-old’s extradition to face trial for fraud. It is unclear whether the US authorities intend to pursue him, the Star reported.
