On at least 542 occasions, the vehicle was never provided to the Big Red Dealerships and a separate transaction was documented-unbeknownst to the lender-in which the trade-in vehicle was resold to the customer for a dollar. The jury also heard that the Big Red Dealerships falsely documented vehicle trade-ins for lenders to approve loans. After loan proceeds were received from lenders, Big Red Dealership employees generated checks to the customers, forged the customers’ signatures on the backs, deposited the checks in Big Red Dealership accounts, and fully reimbursed Norman Pawn & Gun for the purported down payments. During that time period, for at least 519 customers, the down payment was purportedly based on a pawned item provided to Norman Pawn & Gun, a pawn shop owned by Gooch and located in a building owned by Mayes, although it was never open for business and never had any employees.
#Flawless auto mall owner trial
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.Įvidence at trial also showed that from February 2015 until late 2017, the Big Red Dealerships continued to document fictitious cash down payments for 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. 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. 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. Friot, and the federal jury returned its verdict on Friday, November 19, 2021. The trial began on November 2, 2021, before Senior United States District Judge Stephen P.
The indictment further alleged that the defendants 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.
On September 16, 2020, a federal grand jury returned an indictment alleging that from January 2014 to March 2019, Mayes, Gooch, and Wells used 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. Troester, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma. OKLAHOMA CITY – On Friday, November 19, 2021, a federal jury convicted BOBBY CHRIS MAYES, 49, CHARLES GOOCH, 63, and COURTNEY WELLS, 36, all residents of Norman, of multiple counts of wire fraud, conspiracy, issuing forged securities, and aggravated identity theft, announced Robert J.
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