Man could face prison time
buying and selling account numbers — a law enforcement official told The Times there is no evidence that he knew he was dealing with a Russian intelligence operation.
He profited “tens of thousands of dollars” from the sale of banking information online through Auction Essistance, according to court documents.
In a statement released Friday, Lessem acknowledged his client’s guilt, but contended he had no knowledge of a Russian plot to manipulate the election.
“Through an online website, Mr. Pinedo sold bank information, which allowed individuals to fraudulently verify and establish accounts with online financial institutions. Doing so was a mistake, and Mr. Pinedo has accepted full responsibility for his actions,” Lessem said.
“However, Mr. Pinedo had absolutely no knowledge of the identities and motivations of any of the purchasers of the information he provided. To the extent that Mr. Pinedo’s actions assisted any individuals, including foreign nationals, in interfering in the American presidential election was done completely without his knowledge or understanding.”
Pinedo had no prior criminal convictions, according to court records. He is not in custody, according to Lessem, who declined to disclose his client’s whereabouts.
Lessem would not say when Pinedo became aware of the fact that he was doing business with a Russian intelligence operation. The attorney did not know Pinedo’s political views, nor did he know who his client voted for in 2016, if at all.
Lessem said Pinedo had dealings with some of the defendants listed in the indictment, but stressed that those interactions represented a small piece of his client’s overall business. Pinedo was the only employee of Auction Essistance, according to documents filed with the California secretary of state’s office.
“It’s not as if everyone he was working with was part of this overall scheme. This was not the typical client of his online enterprise,” Lessem said.
Pinedo could serve 12 to 18 months in prison under federal sentencing guidelines, but Lessem said many factors could lead to a different punishment.
A sentencing date has not been set.
Online, Pinedo described himself as a digital marketing strategist who touted his skills at increasing website traffic for businesses, according to his LinkedIn page.
“Being able to come up with creative ideas, strategies & coming up with solutions to problems is always a big plus for me,” his online biography reads.
A photo on the LinkedIn page shows him with a wide smile and dark, slick-backed hair.
His LinkedIn page says he worked at Auction Essistance from 2012 to 2014, but federal court documents say his time with the company lasted until 2017. The company was registered with the California secretary of state’s office in 2013, based at what appears to be Pinedo’s home address in Santa Paula. The company was dissolved in February 2015, and Pinedo listed himself as the organization’s “sole member.”
The company’s website, Facebook page and Twitter account were no longer available on Friday afternoon.
Pinedo also published an e-book in 2013 titled “EBay Incognito!” described as a guide to teaching users how to operate in online marketplaces after their accounts were suspended.
According to his LinkedIn page, Pinedo was also the marketing director at a Ventura County search optimization firm named SEO Distortion from March 2014 to October 2017. The company’s listed phone number is the same as the phone number Pinedo provided on his LinkedIn page. A call to that number was not returned Friday.
Pinedo also had a brief stint as a sales associate at LA Fitness, and his online resume said he attended Ventura College, earning a computer science associate’s degree in 2009.
Two unclaimed Amazon boxes and a gray cat sat Friday outside the door of the white Santa Paula residence where Pinedo lives. When approached by reporters, a man who identified himself as Pinedo’s father handed out a paper with contact information for his son’s lawyer. He declined to discuss the indictment.
The family’s neighbors also declined to comment on Pinedo’s guilty plea.