Former South Florida Porsche Salesman Sentenced To Prison For Stealing $3M From Clients
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - A former salesman for Champion Porsche in Pompano Beach, who pled guilty to scamming more than 30 customers out of about $3 million, has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison.
Shiraaz Sookralli, 45, of Plantation, pled guilty last September to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud. He had faced up to 20 years in prison.
Authorities say Sookralli opened a shell corporation with a name bearing a close resemblance to both Champion Porsche and then opened a bank account in the shell corporation's name.
Feds say Sookralli entered into bogus sales orders with customers for the unauthorized sales of non-existent future exotic Porsche models. The majority of which were rare, highly sought-after, Carrera 911 models.
Sookralli would then take deposits from his victims in the form of, wire transfers, bank checks, and cash that he later deposited into his shell company's bank account, according to court documents.
Authorities say customers wired or otherwise transferred approximately $3,000,000 to Sookralli which he used for his personal benefit.
Court documents show Sookralli used the money for extravagant expenditures including luxury vehicles, jewelry, nightclubs, and restaurants.
Champion Porsche, which did not authorize the transactions, contacted victims and cooperated with law enforcement after learning of the scheme.