Mark Janbakhsh, 51, of Brentwood, Tennessee, was sentenced last year to 42 months in federal prison on multiple federal fraud charges, including Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud, Bank Fraud, Making False Statements to a Bank, Bankruptcy Fraud, and Making False Statements Under Oath, announced United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Braden H. Boucek. Mark Janbakhsh was found guilty after a jury trial in August 2025. Three other co-conspirators, each of whom had previously pled guilty, were also sentenced for their involvement in the fraud scheme. Ron Janbakhsh, 46, of Niceville, Florida, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison, Steven L. Piper, 54, of Nashville, Tennessee, was sentenced to 12 months in federal prison, and Christian Quiroz, 46, of Thompson’s Station, Tennessee, was sentenced to 6 months in federal prison.
“People who think they can commit fraud against businesses here in Tennessee need to know that our office will prosecute you and that you will go to federal prison,” said United States Attorney Braden H. Boucek. “Middle Tennessee is one of the best places in America to do business and our office is committed to making sure that those who try to ruin that with fraudulent activities are held accountable for their actions.”
According to the evidence presented at trial, Janbakhsh was the chief executive officer and majority owner of a car dealership company named Auto Masters. In addition to Auto Masters, Janbakhsh owned several other Nashville area businesses, including Plaza Mariachi. Between approximately 2013 and 2017, Auto Masters had a line of credit with Capital One and First Tennessee Bank (now First Horizon Bank). Janbakhsh conspired with his brother Ron Janbakhsh, and their co-conspirators, Steve Piper and Christian Quiroz, who also worked for Auto Masters, to submit false documentation to Capital One to artificially inflate the value of the company’s collateral which would allow Mark Janbakhsh to draw on lines of credit he was otherwise not entitled to take. During the course of the scheme, Auto Masters fraudulently obtained over $24 million dollars that it was not entitled to receive…