Back in 2020 when this saga began, everyone thought Zayn Silmi was a wealthy, savvy, creative person who genuinely cared about the community in which he did business (if you can call it business). The epitome of a social media “influencer”. Through his platform “The People of Sacramento”, he was able to create an image that served him well and made him good money. As it turns out, that was a script he was following, handed down by generations of scammers before him – some of them closely related to him.

I will get into it later in another post how his cars and jetskis are registered in other people’s names, or how he trades rent in exchange for social media management. But the premise is simple: use the illusion of wealth, while talking up being humble and grateful, emphasizing how everything you do is for your community. Use marketing “word salad” to write little fluff pieces here and there, making everyone feel good when they are done reading it – even if they aren’t quite sure what they’ve just read – even if they didn’t really read anything at all. Each new endeavor should have a fundraiser or “give back” attached to it. That way it amplifies your image (and bank account) while making it seem like your actions are selfless. If someone tells you that you are great, you respond with “I couldn’t do it without the people.” It’s like politics (and I hate politics).

If you make people feel good when they are around you, they don’t take notice of your true character or intentions. “He’s such a nice guy” they’ll say, no matter what. Talking a big game doesn’t need to be backed up by facts or action, because no one will question the nice guy. You tell them what they want to hear. No one is checking paperwork. No one digs any further than the smooth talking surface. But unfortunately, eventually, that facade will start to crack, and the true human intention begins to seep through. This is where we find ourselves, today. Despite all the “he would never do that” responses I have seen – time has told the truth. He is not a nice guy. He absolutely will screw anyone and everyone over.

This is the story of how a fast-talking “influencer” with no business license whatsoever was able to schmooze his way into the inner hallways of the City of Sacramento’s government chambers, to sign untraceable contracts with them. The story of how an unregistered charity with no listed officers, by laws, or board members, was able to draw the Mayor of Sacramento, along with every news organization in the county, to the grand opening of a non-existent animal shelter that could have never been zoned or permitted in the upscale mixed-use apartment complex it claimed to be operating in. This is the story of Paycheck Protection Program fraud; a Department of Justice investigation which Silmi refused to cooperate in, landing himself a Cease and Desist Order by the Attorney General. The story of a company selling merchandise since 2016 with no Seller’s Permit. The story of that company getting busted and owing over $20,000 to the CDTFA. The story of employees hired as unpaid interns filing wage claims. Artists who painted murals and photographed merchandise being unpaid and threatening suit. Thousands of dollars stolen from the City’s Front Street Animal Shelter. Thousands more dollars stolen via GoFundMes for everything from Hurricanes to Wildfires to Black Lives Matter protests. This story’s venn diagram of characters spans throughout the restaurant industry, the luxury car industry, the jewelry industry, and the animal rescue industry.

Really though, this is my story. A story of how one determined, relentless stay-at-home Mom used her pandemic lockdown time to unmask the influencer behind these extensive scams in Sacramento. Against all adverse conditions – including physical threats of violence, harassment of my husband and children at their workplace and schools, doxxing and fake social media profiles, “reverse-stalking”, lawsuits and police investigations – I have stood my ground and refused to back down to Zayn Silmi. I warned him when he and his lawyer buddies at Weintraub Tobin first threatened me back in March 2020: “you’ve got the wrong bitch.” And I believe I have proved them right. I would be willing to bet they regret ever bringing any action against me. I am definitely willing to bet that attorney Ramseyfaiz Abboushi wishes he never took the case.

Join me here as I tell the tale which seemingly has no end, because I am still living it. The years drag on and the court’s docket continues to grow ever longer. But I am still here, and I will continue to be here, exposing this fake influencer (and his unscrupulous unethical attorney-cousin) and ensuring that all opportunities for him are lost in this town. I am well within my rights to tell my own tale. Everything here is factual, true, and backed up with evidence. If it weren’t – I could be sued for defamation. But they already tried that – and failed.

As I like to say on my Instagram page (@peopleofsac_scams): I am here for a long time, not a good time.

Follow along on my Instagram page for real-time updates and archived images. This website will be more of a blog where I get to tell the story from start to finish in an organized and editorial fashion, free from character limits, and without the looming threat of having my account shut down for some nonsensical violation.

As always, thank you to the REAL People of Sacramento, for all of your support over the years. Thank you to the thousands of local business owners, political insiders, attorneys, investigators, volunteers, journalists, team members, and concerned citizens who have helped me bring this justice we all deserve. Thank you to the new folks arriving everyday after finding my account and realizing they were gaslit by “TPOS” too. Thank you thank you. I literally could not have done it without the people.