Phoenix, Arizona - Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced that a State Grand Jury indicted Farhad Kankash, owner of Onyx Motor Sports and Main Auto Group car dealerships, on seven counts of Fraudulent Schemes and Artifices and seven counts of Theft, involving over $350,000.
Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) agents conducted an investigation and discovered thirteen (13) victims accused Kankash of theft from April 2018 to April 2019.
During this time frame, the indictment alleges Kankash committed fraudulent acts against individual car buyers/sellers and lending institutions. Kankash is accused of selling a car and charging the buyer the fees for registration and title, but failing to provide the title to the vehicle to the new owner and failing to pay the fees to MVD. Therefore, ADOT purportedly had to assist the victims with obtaining a title but the victims had to pay the registration and title fees again.
Furthermore, Kankash allegedly took vehicles on consignment and then sold the vehicles but never paid the owner for the vehicle he/she consigned. The indictment purports Kankash failed to pay off liens on vehicle trade-ins and therefore the victim was now responsible for the payments on the vehicle they purchased from Kankash as well as the vehicle they traded in.
All defendants are presumed innocent until convicted in a court of law.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Shawn Steinberg.