Former Salesman Pleads Guilty After Swiping Customer's Deposits

Fitting Conclusion

It's a story straight out of some fiction novel. Former Champion Porsche salesman and vice president Shiraaz Sookralli collected nearly $3 million in customer deposits on various highly sought-after Porsche vehicles, only to use that money to live a lavish lifestyle himself. And now, months after he was finally caught, the South Florida Sun is reporting that Sookralli has pleaded guilty Monday to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud. He faces up to 20 years in prison at sentencing.

Photos: Champion Porsche 

It's a Scam

The story dates back to the fall of 2018 when a thread appeared in the Rennlist forums. The original poster simply asked if anyone had ever dealt with Sookralli in the past. Turns out, many had fallen for his scam. At that time, Sookralli had already collected over $2.5 million in customer deposits for a variety of limited edition Porsche models using his own shill company called Champion Autosports.

Photo: Broward Sheriff's Office 

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Early Signs

Sookralli’s shell company was created way back in 2010, so this scam went on for an extended period of time. It even involved other car sellers. M & L Luxury Cars had already filed a lawsuit after Sookralli failed to deliver one 911R to the reseller after they had placed a $350,000 deposit. They did receive a second vehicle but at a $350,000 markup.

Photos: Champion Porsche 

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Disappearing Deposits

A second lawsuit soon followed that accused Sookralli of creating fake order documents for customers and then diverting their deposit money into his own bank account. That account was later emptied. The lawsuit also claimed that Sookralli admitted all of this to Champion Porsche via emails and phone calls. The dealership maintained all along that they had no knowledge of what Sookralli was up to over his many years of fraudulent activity.

Photos: Champion Porsche 

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Strange Events

Of course, by the time all of this came to light, Sookralli had disappeared with the cash, leaving nearly two dozen victims empty-handed. Making this story even stranger, shortly thereafter, Champion’s owner, Devindar Maraj, died in a tragic accident after drowning at a party.

Photos: Champion Porsche 

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Lavish Lifestyle

Sookralli's life on the lamb lasted a full eight months before he was finally caught. It seems that greed eventually got the best of the well-liked salesman. According to court documents, his lavish lifestyle that included nights at swanky clubs, expensive meals, and flashy jewelry only showed up in his later years of employment at Champion.

Photos: Champion Porsche 

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Bait and Switch

According to his victims, it seems like the only reason Sookralli wasn't caught sooner was that he was so well-liked and respected in the Porsche community. Scam victims believed him when he told them their cars were on hold or even accepted other models with different specs after being told their desired spec wasn't available.

Photos: Champion Porsche

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Fully Exposed

Regardless, court documents also revealed that the father of 10 had racked up $176,000 in credit card debt as of 2016. He used "signed false and fraudulent purchase orders on official Champion Porsche forms, (and) sham vehicle build sheets," to help fund his lifestyle, court documents allege. That is until Champion caught wind of the scheme in 2018.

Photos: Champion Porsche 

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Justice Is Served

Sookralli actually admitted his guilt to Champion when confronted about it, before his disappearance. The dealership has said that they have since reimbursed all affected customers. And now, after years of somehow getting away with his pyramid scheme of sorts, its perpetrator will finally be punished for his crimes.

Photos: Champion Porsche

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