Luxury cars, Paris tickets, vacation rentals — Tacoma man’s wire fraud hit $2 million
A former Tacoma resident pleaded guilty Friday to defrauding an online car sales company of about $2 million.
John Whisenant, 41, has a sentencing scheduled for July 3. He was arrested in July 2023, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Western Washington.
Whisenant held several roles at an online used car sales company beginning in October 2018, according to court records. A year later the company promoted him to a role that gave him access to the company’s bank accounts and accounting software.
Between June 2019 and November 2021, Whisenant made 57 wire transfers totaling over $2 million into his accounts. He disguised the transfers as business expenses, according to the news release. He then transferred the money to other accounts, making it hard to trace.
Court records show that Whisenant, who later moved to California, used some of the money for luxury automobiles such as a Porsche, Mercedes, a $123,096 Audi E-Tron and a $98,100 Tesla. He also rented luxury homes in Southern California, and bought airline tickets to Paris totaling about $23,000 each.
A bookkeeper discovered the fraud on the company’s accounts in January 2022. Whisenant abruptly resigned a month later, according to the news release.
Prosecutors recommend a seven-year prison sentence. U.S. District Court Judge Lauren King is not bound by the recommendation, according to the news release. Those who commit wire fraud can be punished by up to 20 years in prison.
Whisenant has agreed to pay $2,084,779 in restitution, according to the news release.
