Mark Janbakhsh, the former chief executive officer and majority owner of Auto Masters, a Nashville car dealership company, has been sentenced to 42 months in federal prison on several fraud-related charges. The sentencing was announced by United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Braden H. Boucek. Janbakhsh was found guilty after a jury trial in August 2025 on charges including conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, making false statements to a bank, bankruptcy fraud, and making false statements under oath.
Three co-conspirators also received prison sentences for their roles in the scheme. Ron Janbakhsh of Niceville, Florida was sentenced to 18 months; Steven L. Piper of Nashville received 12 months; and Christian Quiroz of Thompson’s Station was sentenced to six months.
“People who think they can commit fraud against businesses here in Tennessee need to know that our office will prosecute you and that you will go to federal prison,” said United States Attorney Braden H. Boucek. “Middle Tennessee is one of the best places in America to do business and our office is committed to making sure that those who try to ruin that with fraudulent activities are held accountable for their actions.”
Evidence presented at trial showed that between 2013 and 2017, Mark Janbakhsh conspired with his brother Ron Janbakhsh as well as Steve Piper and Christian Quiroz—both employees at Auto Masters—to submit false documentation to Capital One Bank. This allowed them to artificially inflate the value of company collateral and draw funds from lines of credit they were not entitled to access.
Auto Masters obtained more than $24 million through this fraudulent activity over several years. Prosecutors said Mark Janbakhsh used these funds both for personal expenses—including luxury cars and vacations—and for other business ventures such as Plaza Mariachi.
When investigations began and bankruptcy proceedings were underway in 2017, evidence showed Mark Janbakhsh instructed employees to delete company data that could reveal fraudulent activities. He later lied under oath during bankruptcy hearings about the nature of these dealings. Additionally, when he learned federal agents were seeking information from co-conspirators, he offered Christian Quiroz over $300,000 if he would leave the area in an attempt to obstruct the investigation.
In addition to serving time in prison, Mark Janbakhsh, Steven Piper, and Christian Quiroz must pay restitution totaling $11,272,521.20 each and serve one year of supervised release following their sentences. Ron Janbakhsh was ordered to pay $4,185,478 in restitution along with one year of supervised release.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Nashville Field Office and IRS Criminal Investigation led the investigation into this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Christopher Suedekum prosecuted it.
