Apollon Nimo, Wire Fraud, Michigan 2021

Grimy Times has learned that a Macomb County car salesman has been charged with wire fraud in a scheme that involved the trafficking in Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Employee Purchase Control Numbers (EPCNs).

According to documents, Apollon Nimo, 34, a salesman at Parkway Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Clinton Township, improperly trafficked in, used, and sold FCA EPCNs to provide discounts to non-qualified car buyers from 2014 through the present.

The EPCNs were bought and sold through private Facebook Groups, resulting in a loss to FCA of approximately $8.7 million dollars. Nimo profited both by selling the illegally obtained EPCNs to buyers and through bonuses FCA provided to him based on the volume of his sales.

Nimo had the highest number of EPCN sales nationwide for the time period of May 2018 to August 2018 and January 2019 to March 2019.

“Automobile sales play a major role in our state’s economy,” said Acting US Attorney Saima Mohsin. “Corruption of the sort alleged in today’s complaint imposes costs on automotive manufacturers that are ultimately passed to consumers. The charges announced today are serious and reflect my office’s commitment to ensuring the integrity of this market.”

The case was investigated by the special agents of Homeland Security Investigations and the Clinton Township Police Department along with assistance from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles corporate investigators. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Chasteen is prosecuting the case.

Nimo made his initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Anthony P. Patti and was released on bond. A preliminary exam was set for May 21, 2021.

The charges against Nimo include wire fraud. A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

This case highlights the importance of ensuring the integrity of the automotive industry and the need for law enforcement agencies to work together to prevent and investigate financial crimes.

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