HOUSTON – A phantom car dealership and a disbarred attorney fueled a nearly $700,000 auto loan fraud scheme that has landed three individuals in federal prison, authorities announced today. Jason Ryan Hall, 36, of Houston, orchestrated the operation, creating websites for nonexistent dealerships “EZ Auto Group” and “1st Choice Motors” to swindle lenders.
The scheme, which ran from April through November 2011, revolved around securing auto loans for luxury vehicles that never existed. Hall recruited “straw buyers” – Howard Price Johnson, 63, of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Anissa Lavon Burdett, 50, of Ohio – to apply for loans to purchase Mercedes and Lexus cars from his fabricated dealerships. These applications were riddled with lies and backed by forged documents crafted by Hall, including fake bills of sale and W-2 forms claiming employment where none existed.
Once the approximately $695,741 in loan funds hit the accounts for the sham dealerships, Hall kicked back a portion to Johnson and Burdett as payment for their participation. No vehicles were ever delivered to the straw buyers, and no titles were provided to the lenders. Predictably, the loans quickly went into default, leaving banks holding the bag. A total of 16 fraudulent loan applications were submitted during the operation.
U.S. District Judge Alfred Bennett handed down the sentences today. Hall received 18 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $484,070.76 in restitution to the defrauded banks and forfeit $21,000 to the U.S. government. Johnson, who was disbarred, previously received a 12-month and one-day sentence, while Burdett will serve six months behind bars.
Evidence presented at the hearing today underscored Hall’s central role in devising and executing the scheme. He was allowed to remain on bond and will voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility at a date to be determined. The investigation was a joint effort by IRS-Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Secret Service, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Johnson leading the prosecution.
This isn’t simply a case of bad credit; it’s a calculated effort to defraud financial institutions and exploit the trust placed in the lending system. The Secret Service continues to aggressively pursue these types of financial crimes, holding perpetrators accountable for their actions and safeguarding the integrity of the financial markets.
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Key Facts
- Agency: U.S. Secret Service
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Press Release
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