Justin Williams, Auto Loan Fraud, Connecticut 2021

Rocky Hill, Conn. – In a shocking turn of events, Justin Williams, a 42-year-old resident of Rocky Hill, has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for his role in an auto loan fraud scheme in Connecticut.

According to court documents, Williams worked as a salesman and de facto general manager at a used car dealership located in Middletown, known as Car Nation, LLC, Car Nation CT, LLC, and Middletown Motorcars, which was owned and operated by George Hajati.

Between approximately November 2015 and June 2016, Williams defrauded lenders of $264,345.54 through this scheme. He submitted false documents, including fictitious or altered borrower pay stubs and income verification letters purportedly from the Social Security Administration, to victim lenders.

The scheme involved submitting loan applications that falsely represented the borrower’s employment, salary, sources of income, and amount of a down payment. In some instances, the borrower was not aware of, and did not authorize, Williams’ use of their personal identifying information to obtain automobile loans.

Williams, who was previously convicted of federal fraud charges related to a Hartford-area scheme to defraud mortgage lenders, was on federal supervised release at the time of his participation in this auto loan fraud scheme. He was arrested on a criminal complaint on January 16, 2020, and pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud on November 19, 2020.

Williams is required to report to prison on July 5, 2021, and was ordered to pay $251,267.08 in restitution. His co-conspirator, George Hajati, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and was sentenced to 27 months of imprisonment and ordered to pay $654,952.56 in restitution.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Conor M. Reardon and David T. Huang.

Williams’ sentence serves as a reminder of the consequences of white-collar crime. His actions caused significant financial harm to victims and undermined the integrity of the financial system.

As we continue to investigate and prosecute cases of financial wrongdoing, we must remain vigilant in protecting the public and upholding the law.

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