Mohamad Jihad Fakih, a 27-year-old auto dealer from Tampa, has been sentenced to four and a half years in federal prison for his involvement in a wire fraud conspiracy and attempting to export a stolen vehicle. The sentencing was handed down by U.S. Senior District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington. Along with the prison term, the court ordered Fakih to forfeit $372,000, which represented the proceeds from the wire fraud scheme. Fakih was found guilty on August 21, 2025.
According to court documents, Fakih used his position as a car dealer and wholesaler to access a dealership website that allowed him to submit automobile financing applications. Working with others, he identified straw purchasers and submitted false loan applications on their behalf to automotive financing companies. These applications misrepresented that vehicles were being purchased by the straw buyers when no actual sales took place.
Once the fraudulent loans were approved, funds were sent to Fakih as if he were selling vehicles. He then shared portions of these proceeds with his coconspirator and the straw purchasers. Fakih also filed false insurance claims by reporting vehicles as stolen and attempted to export vehicles for which he had secured fraudulent financing but over which lenders still held liens. This scheme involved at least six vehicles totaling at least $372,000.
Fakih also tried to export stolen cars overseas directly. In one instance, using a straw purchaser, he obtained a stolen Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV and arranged for it to be shipped out of the Port of Savannah under falsified shipping documents intended to hide its contents from law enforcement. U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted the container; they valued the Cullinan at approximately $460,000.
"This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force," according to information provided in connection with the prosecution. "It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Risha Asokan."
U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced the sentencing.
