Man charged with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft in solar panel loan scheme

Dallas - A federal grand jury indicted a Dallas man July 31 for allegedly orchestrating a fraudulent scheme involving solar panel sales and illicitly obtaining homeowner loans announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Ryan Raybould.

Andres Jesus Linares-Rea, 27, was charged in a four-count indictment with two counts of wire fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft.

According to the indictment, Linares-Rea contracted with solar engineering, procurement and construction companies ("Solar EPC contractors") that marketed and installed rooftop solar panels. He sold solar systems door-to-door and assisted customers in securing financing through a fintech lender.

The indictment alleges that between September 2022 and December 2024, Linares-Rea devised a scheme to fraudulently obtain loans in the names of unsuspecting homeowners. In several instances, he allegedly submitted loan applications and electronically signed loan agreements without the customers' knowledge or consent and added co-borrowers without their authorization.

Linares-Rea allegedly misled homeowners by falsely claiming the solar panels were "free" due to government subsidies or the homeowners' financial status. In at least one case, he is accused of obtaining a loan for a solar panel installation despite the homeowner repeatedly stating he did not want solar panels.

Once the fraudulent loans were funded, the lending company transferred loan proceeds to Solar EPC contractors, who then paid Linares-Rea commissions inflated by these unauthorized transactions.

The indictment lists specific interstate wire transfers made in support of the scheme, including a $71,754.79 transfer on November 19, 2023, to fund a loan allegedly obtained without Victim 1's consent, and a $57,173.25 transfer on March 14, 2023, for a loan allegedly obtained without Victim 2's consent.

Linares-Rea is also charged with two counts of aggravated identity theft for allegedly using Victim 1's and Victim 2's electronic signatures without lawful authority in connection with the wire fraud scheme.

If convicted, Linares-Rea faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each of the wire fraud counts and two years on each of the aggravated identity theft counts. The indictment also includes a notice of criminal forfeiture.

The FBI Dallas Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marty Basu and Elise Aldendifer are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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