Eighth Reagor Dykes Defendant Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud Conspiracy

An eighth defendant in the Reagor Dykes Auto Group fraud case has pleaded guilty, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

Brad William Fansler, 41, an RDAG Group Administrative Director, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud before Magistrate Jude Lee Ann Reno in Amarillo Monday morning.

In plea papers, Mr. Fansler admitted that the auto group routinely sold vehicles “out of trust” – meaning that they failed to repay lenders within seven days of selling the vehicle financed by that lender.

Just before the lender conducted audits, Mr. Fansler admitted, the auto group would create what they called “dummy shucks,” falsifying vehicles sales dates on official paperwork to make it appear as though the vehicle had sold within the prior seven days and was not yet out of trust.

In order to make payments following these audits, the auto group would then engage in a process they called “dummy flooring,” digging through records for vehicle identification numbers (VIN) of cars Reagor Dykes had already sold, then submitting new loan applications to lenders using the old VINs – falsely indicating that the company was seeking a floor plan loan in order to repurchase the vehicle for resale. After acquiring new funding, instead of purchasing the cars, the company would use the money to pay off the old loans. 

Eventually, Mr. Fansler acknowledged, dealers ran out of VINs to re-floor, and began using cars pledged as collateral to other lenders, a process they dubbed “double flooring.”

Mr. Fansler is the eighth defendant to admit involvement in the $50 million scheme. Admitted coconspirators include Reagor Dykes Chief Financial Officer Shane Andrew Smith and employees Sheila Miller, Lindsay Williams, Diana Urias, Paige Johnston, Pepper Rickman, and Sherri Lynn Wood.

Mr. Fansler faces up to five years in prison and may be required to pay at least $27 million in restitution. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation Dallas Field Office and Internal Revenue Services - Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Frausto, Jeffrey Haag, and Sean Taylor are prosecuting the case.