Former UTEP women’s basketball star Jenzel Nash has pled guilty to “aiding and abetting false statements to credit and loan applications.” It is unclear whether pleading guilty prior to her April 9 trial in Federal Court means that Nash has avoided the maximum sentence that she was facing, 30 years and a fine of up to $1 million. Nash will now be sentenced on June 13.
Nash was one of seven people charged with conspiring to defraud 21 banks and credit unions by obtaining lines of credit under false pretenses. Specifically, Nash was accused of lying about her monthly salary while working at Chubby’s Bronx Deli on loan applications at GECU and Evolve FCU.
In an exclusive with the Prospector, before charges were filed in January of 2017, Nash denied any guilt. “The media are making it seem like I just walked into a bank and got $20,000, when it was a car loan and a bike loan that are already paid off,” said Nash. “So, I didn’t do anything wrong other than working at Chubby’s.”
Sources inside the U.S. Attorney’s office recently confirmed that the car and motorcycle were not “paid off,” as Nash stated in the interview.
In addition to Nash’s plea, two more pleas were entered into the record in Judge David Briones’ federal courtroom on Thursday. Nash’s former boyfriend, Terrance Yelder pled guilty to “bank fraud/conspiracy, count one.” Miguel Munoz, who was charged with making a false statement on a credit or loan application, pled guilty on one count involving Security Service FCU.
Another defendant, Basem Elgelda, pled guilty in March to the same charge as Nash and will be sentenced on June 6.
Michael Annabi, Perla Annabi and Daniel Munoz are the only three defendants left to stand trial on April 9. Michael Annabi faces one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and four counts of making a false statement on loan and credit applications. Perla Annabi and Munoz are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and false statement on a loan and credit application.
The Annabis’ are the former owners of Chubby’s Bronx Deli near the UTEP campus where Nash worked while attending school.
There is no word on whether any of the guilty pleas involve an agreement to testify against any other defendants.
