Bobby Chris Mayes, Wire Fraud Conspiracy, Oklahoma 2022

OKLAHOMA CITY – Today, Bobby Chris Mayes, 51 of Norman, was sentenced to serve 130 months in federal prison for wire fraud, conspiracy, issuing forged securities, aggravated identity theft, and obstruction of justice, announced U. S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. Mayes’ co-defendants CHARLES GOOCH, 65 of Moore, and COURTNEY WELLS, 38 of Norman, will be sentenced in the coming weeks.

“The extensive deception and manipulation employed by Mr. Mayes in this fraud scheme continued after his conviction in seeking to deceive and manipulate his co-defendants and even the Court,” said U.S. Attorney Troester. “Today’s sentence demonstrates that schemes to defraud will eventually be revealed and severe consequences will be imposed. I commend the outstanding work done by both investigators and prosecutors in this case.”

“Mayes and his co-defendants orchestrated an elaborate scheme to defraud car buyers and lenders out of millions of dollars by misrepresenting the type, source, and amount of borrower’s down payments and vehicle trade-ins. This long-running conspiracy resulted in significant losses to over 20 financial institutions, while hundreds of borrowers were saddled with debt they simply could not afford,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Gray. “The sentence handed down today should serve as a stark reminder that this level of greed comes with an even bigger price to pay. The FBI recognizes the impact of fraudulent business practices on American consumers, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure predators like Mayes are brought to justice.”

On September 16, 2020, Mayes, Gooch, and Wells were indicted on 25 counts for using their positions as co-owners of the Big Red Dealerships (Big Red Sports/Imports, Big Red Kia, Norman Yamaha, Norman Mitsubishi, and Mayes Kia) to engage in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud in which they sought to obtain millions of dollars of loan proceeds.

Mayes was the owner of the Big Red Dealerships, Gooch was the compliance officer, and Wells was the financial controller. The government alleged each defendant made materially false statements and omissions to lenders about the type, source, and amount of borrowers’ down payments or vehicle trade-ins, and bribed at least one loan officer.

From November 2, 2021, through November 19, 2021, a jury trial was held in Oklahoma City. At trial, the jury heard testimony that the Big Red Dealerships used advertisements to target potential customers with poor credit and that Mayes, Gooch, and Wells then fraudulently induced lenders to approve loans for such customers by documenting that the customers provided cash down payments and/or trade-in vehicles when that was untrue. Twelve different Big Red Dealership customers testified about their experiences buying cars at the Big Red Dealerships, along with several former employees and representatives of several lenders. In some circumstances, the purported cash down payment was simply fictitious, and the Big Red Dealerships referred to those cash down payments as “King Cash” on internal documents. The jury also heard testimony that in late 2014, one lender discovered these fake cash down payments, and Mayes emailed threats to the CEO of that lender in an effort to stop the lender from further investigating the Big Red Dealerships.

As a result of his conviction, Bobby Chris Mayes has paid more than $1,100,000 in restitution, and has also been ordered to forfeit more than $1,000,000. Mayes will serve 130 months in federal prison for his crimes.

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