Tampa auto dealer sentenced for wire fraud, exporting stolen cars: DOJ

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Tampa man was sentenced to prison for wire fraud and attempting to export a stolen vehicle, the Department of Justice announced.

Mohamad Fakih, 27, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison after conspiring with others to commit wire fraud by obtaining fraudulent loans from automotive financing companies and attempting to export a stolen car from overseas, according to court documents.

Fakih was a car dealer and wholesaler, so he had access to a dealership website where financing applications could be submitted.

According to court documents, to facilitate the scheme, Fakih and his coconspirators would identify straw purchasers and submit falsified loan applications to the victim companies on their behalf, misreporting that a vehicle was being purchased by the straw purchaser.

In reality, there was no vehicle for sale.

After the loans were approved, the loan amount would be disbursed to Fakih as the seller of the vehicle, and his coconspirators and straw purchasers would receive a cut from the proceeds, according to the DOJ.

Fakih would also file false insurance claims for the vehicles, reporting them as stolen as part of his scheme.

Fakih attempted to export vehicles that he fraudulently obtained financing for, and for which the financing company held a lien.

Overall, Fakih repeated the scheme for at least six vehicles in the amount of at least $372,000, according to the DOJ.

Court documents said Fakih also attempted to export stolen cars overseas by using one of the straw purchasers and procuring a stolen Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV.

"He arranged for the Cullinan to be shipped in a container out of the Port of Savannah, the manifest for which had been falsified so as not to alert law enforcement as to its true contents. U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized the container and assessed that the stolen Cullinan's MSRP was approximately $460,000," The Department of Justice said.

As part of his sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $372,000, which is the proceeds of the conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Fakih was found guilty on Aug. 21, 2025.