Mark Janbakhsh, 51, of Brentwood, Tennessee, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Nashville to 42 months in federal prison after a jury found him guilty in August 2025 of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, making false statements to a bank, bankruptcy fraud, and making false statements under oath. U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Braden H. Boucek announced the sentence.
Janbakhsh was the chief executive officer and majority owner of Auto Masters, a Nashville-area car dealership. Between 2013 and 2017, he conspired with his brother Ron Janbakhsh, employee Steven L. Piper, and employee Christian Quiroz to submit fake borrowing base certificates to Capital One and First Tennessee Bank (now First Horizon Bank).
They inflated the value of the dealership's collateral to draw money they were not entitled to receive. The scheme netted more than $24 million that Auto Masters used to fund Janbakhsh's lavish lifestyle and other business ventures, including the construction of Plaza Mariachi.
Janbakhsh drove luxury cars such as a Bentley and Ferrari, took expensive family vacations, including trips to Dubai, and directed employees to delete emails and data as investigators closed in. After Auto Masters filed for bankruptcy in 2017, he lied under oath during bankruptcy proceedings. When he learned federal agents wanted to speak with co-conspirators, he offered Quiroz more than $300,000 to leave the jurisdiction and obstruct the investigation.
Ron Janbakhsh, 46, of Niceville, Florida, received an 18-month prison sentence. Steven L. Piper, 54, of Nashville, Tennessee, was sentenced to 12 months. Christian Quiroz, 46, of Thompson’s Station, Tennessee, received 6 months.
Ron Janbakhsh was ordered to pay $4,185,478 in restitution.
Mark Janbakhsh, Piper, and Quiroz were ordered to pay $11,272,521.20 in restitution. Each received one year of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Braden H. Boucek stated, "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. 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."
The FBI Nashville Field Office and IRS Criminal Investigation handled the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Christopher Suedekum prosecuted the case.