The showroom was all gloss and polish. A high-end display of European engineering. Financing went smoothly. Loans were approved, papers signed and keys exchanged.

But weeks after driving off the lot, buyers in Arizona and California discovered they weren't the legal owners of their new rides — and the cars they used as trade-ins were not paid off.

That meant they still owed thousands of dollars for loans on their old cars on top of loans for new ones.

Those weren't their only problems. Cars were inoperable. Promised repairs weren't made. Insurance policies financed as part of the auto loans weren't activated.

While the dealer initially assured buyers these were just paperwork snafus, their old cars were sometimes being traded and resold.

An investigation by The Arizona Republic found the trade-ins were sold without proper title. They were secretly moved from a dealership in Tempe to another in Phoenix, then transferred to new owners without required paperwork.

A vehicle registered to a woman in Prescott was given away to replace a car with undisclosed mechanical defects. Her car ended up in Hawaii. A San Diego buyer who threatened legal action drove away with two cars — and two car loans.

The total number of victims is unclear, but customers who spoke with The Republic lost thousands of dollars and remain trapped in a web of car title and loan issues.

Business documents, court records, emails and interviews show the owner and managers of the Tempe dealership are tied to used-car dealerships in Phoenix and Scottsdale, including one raided by federal authorities five years ago.

The dealerships include Onyx Motorsports in Tempe, Main Auto Group and RPM Motors in Phoenix, and Luxor Auto Group and Creative Bespoke in Scottsdale. The owners say each business operates independently and is unconnected to the others.

Four of the dealerships employed the same staff, including salesmen, managers and the finance director. Three of the dealerships involved the same owners, who are related to the owners of the other two.

How to protect yourself when buying a used car Buying used cars has always been a risk. Here's what you need to know to protect yourself throughout the process. Nicole Schaub, The Republic | azcentral.com

Three of the dealerships — Onyx, Main and Luxor — closed amid allegations of wrongdoing. Two owners filed for bankruptcy even as customers and finance companies claimed automobiles and assets were transferred for personal use.

The case exposes the lack of protection for car buyers in the state, from the inability of state regulators to hold licensed car dealers accountable when they close shop to cases that are treated as contract disputes despite allegations of fraud.

Consumers caught in this version of Three-car Monte said they received little help from the Arizona Department of Transportation or the Arizona Attorney General's Office. They said they were forced to track down their old automobiles, confront managers and negotiate the return of their vehicles.

Farhad Kankash, Onyx Motorsports owner What do you want me to do about it? If I was taking people's money, I would be in jail. Quote icon

Onyx Motorsports, which operated from 2014 to 2019, is the nexus of problems. When customers complained to authorities, the owner denied wrongdoing and claimed it was an issue of financial hardship.

"I helped everybody," Onyx owner Farhad Kankash told The Republic in June. "I stood up. Everybody got titled. The company wasn't doing well financially. It's all good."

Except it isn't all good for customers, who have been dinged on credit reports for late payments and repossessions for cars that weren't paid off.

It isn't all good for finance companies, which claim Kankash took millions of dollars meant to secure inventory at his dealerships and used the money for personal expenses.

Kankash refused to discuss finance companies. He confirmed customers still owe multiple outstanding auto loans for cars his company failed to pay off. He said there's nothing he can do about it, and the court will take care of it.

"What do you want me to do about it?" he said. "If I was taking people's money, I would be in jail."

No title on new car, no payoff on old

San Diego talent agent Troy Gilmore said he decided to buy from Onyx last year after seeing an online listing for a used BMW.

Before contacting the dealer, Gilmore did his research. He checked to make sure the dealer was licensed and had a good reputation on consumer websites.

"The reviews were not bad at the time," he said. "I communicated online about trading in my car."

Gilmore, who is from Phoenix and frequently visits the Valley, drove his 2012 Audi A6 to Onyx and traded it for the BMW.

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Onyx at the time was located on West Fourth Street in Tempe. Gilmore said the showroom was impressive, with several midrange to high-end cars on display. The finance manager was efficient and the negotiations went quick.

Gilmore said Onyx arranged to roll the remaining loan on the Audi as part of a $28,000 financing agreement on the new car.

The deal initially seemed fine, even typical, Gilmore said. A few weeks later, the deal got weird.

"I don't know what, but something made me check on the old loan," he said. "It should have been paid off. But I called and got no response."

Gilmore said the loan was still outstanding and no payments had been made. He sent an email to the dealership and got a reply from Kankash's wife, Sahar Salari, telling him the payoff would be finalized in a few days. Salari served as the dealer's business manager.

"Then she just disappeared," Gilmore said. "And I didn't get the title to my new car. ... I didn't know what was going on."

RPM Motors on Van Buren Street in Phoenix is one of several Valley dealerships tied to Onyx Motorsports. Nick Oza/The Republic

Tracking the Audi to second used-car lot

Weird quickly became full-on crazy.

Online, Gilmore found complaints popping up from buyers about not getting titles to cars they bought from Onyx.

Customers claimed the dealership was out of business.

The cars they had traded in hadn't been paid off and were showing up at a dealership on Van Buren Street in Phoenix.

"Their cars got gone," Gilmore said.

Gilmore said he fired off some "fairly threatening" emails to Salari about potential legal action and indicated he intended to call authorities.

Kankash denied wrongdoing in an email to Gilmore, saying he had to close his business and was doing everything he could to help customers. He claimed he was working with a detective from the Arizona Department of Transportation to sort out problems.

"I haven't done anything illegal," he wrote in a Dec. 6 email from his Onyx auto account. "Dealership is not even open to be able to sell your car with or without title."

Kankash said if he intended to rip off customers, he would not bother replying to emails. He said he had sent a payment to cover Gilmore's past-due loan on the Audi and hoped to pay it off the next day.

He told Gilmore his title and paperwork were locked in the old Onyx dealership and he didn't have access.

"This is the best I can do regarding your deal and you are more than welcome to contact authorities," Kankash said in the email. "They will have the same answer I'm giving you. I'm not running away, it just need some time to get resolved."

Gilmore drove to Phoenix and found the dealership on Van Buren.

Troy Gilmore, bought a car from Onyx Motorsports I did get the title on the Beamer. They came up with the title when they realized I wasn't going to just walk away. Quote icon

Main Auto Group was sandwiched between a Budget Motel and a Days Inn near 28th Street. It was little more than a dirt lot with a collection of gray-painted cinderblock offices. No showroom, just cars lined up on either side of an orange metal fence.

That's where Gilmore found Lisa Rosselli, Onyx's former finance manager. He said Rosselli claimed she was no longer "involved" with Onyx and couldn't help him. She said Kankash didn't own Main Auto.

Gilmore said he demanded the title to his new car and Rosselli refused to sign any paperwork. But she got Kankash on the phone, and he immediately agreed to meet Gilmore at the Van Buren dealership.

"Rhad shows up and gives me a lot of BS about what went down," Gilmore said. "He said there was a problem ... and he was in the process of filing bankruptcy."

Gilmore said he demanded the return of his Audi, convinced that Kankash would sell it without transferring the title. He said Kankash "went and got my old car" from the Main Auto lot.

Just like that, Gilmore had possession of the Audi, along with the old loan. He also was responsible for the loan on the BMW. Fortunately, he could afford double car payments.

"I did get the title on the Beamer," Gilmore said. "They came up with the title when they realized I wasn't going to just walk away."

MORE: What you need to know before you buy a used car

SUV given away, ends up in Hawaii

Prescott resident Talia Virrey also went to Main Auto last year in search of her old SUV. It wasn't there.

The Nissan Pathfinder had been given to another customer — and shipped to Hawaii — even though it was still registered in Virrey's name.

In September, Virrey had seen an online ad for her husband's dream truck, a fully loaded 2013 Chevy Silverado 1500 with 62,500 miles and a price of $28,099.

Virrey had never heard of Onyx Motorsports, but she liked what she saw. She checked out reviews online, then visited the dealership. A Maserati and a Porsche were parked next to the truck beneath the showroom's gleaming lights.

Virrey did the math. She owed $9,861 on the Pathfinder. The dealer agreed to give her $8,500 in trade and pay off the loan. She and her husband signed a contract for $31,326.

The contract shows Onyx charged the Virrey's $595 for GAP insurance, a policy that covers the difference between the amount financed and the actual value of the vehicle. Court records show the policy was never purchased.

Rosselli signed the finance documents as "manager."

More than a month after Virrey and her husband drove home, Nissan called about a late payment on the Pathfinder. Virrey called Onyx and spoke to the salesman.

"He said he would call me back, which he did, and said, 'Yeah, it's been paid off, I'm looking at right here,'" Virrey said. "I asked him to send me a copy of it, and he said he wasn't able to."

Nissan called again in November. This time, Virrey got Rosselli on the phone, who told her Onyx was now operating out of its "second location," at Main Auto on Van Buren.

Rosselli said Kankash was out of the country but promised to immediately send a payment to Nissan, according to Virrey.

Talia Virrey, who bought a vehicle from Onyx Motorsports I spent the whole next day crying and getting angry, crying and getting angry. It really shakes your faith in humanity. Quote icon

The payment never arrived. A week later, Virrey sent an email to Rosselli saying she was "getting nervous since it has been almost two months and I still have this car in my name and on my credit but not in my possession."

On Nov. 16, Rosselli replied. She said she no longer worked at Onyx and told Virrey to "reach out to the owner and his wife."

Kankash got back to Virrey the day before Thanksgiving. She said he apologized profusely over the phone and promised to take care of the loan. He didn't.

On Dec. 1, Virrey called Nissan and found out the loan was still outstanding. When Kankash didn't answer her calls, she tried the salesman. He told her he no longer worked an Onyx, the lot was shut down and all the cars had been moved.

Online, Virrey read the same new and alarming complaints Gilmore had seen; customers claiming Onyx closed without paying off their old loans. She and her husband got in their truck and drove to Phoenix.

They arrived at Main Auto and found the salesman from Onyx working on the lot. Rosselli was in the office. How could Onyx be closed if the staff was still working there?

The Virreys called Phoenix police. The officer got answers — but not ones the Virreys wanted to hear.

The Nissan, for which she was still the legal owner and still owed $9,000, had been sold and was now registered in Hawaii.

"I spent the whole next day crying and getting angry, crying and getting angry," Virrey said. "It really shakes your faith in humanity."

As some customers of Onyx Motorsports in Tempe encountered issues, they found their old vehicles at Main Auto Group in Phoenix. Robert Anglen/The Republic

Car trouble in paradise

Regina and Kain Moreno had no idea their new vehicle legally belonged to someone else.

They didn't set out to buy a Nissan Pathfinder. It was the vehicle Onyx persuaded them to take after they discovered the Mercedes they purchased needed about $7,000 in repairs.

The Mercedes, a silver hardtop convertible SL500, was supposed to be a gift to themselves, a way to celebrate their upcoming move from Maricopa to the Big Island. But weeks after they left with the Mercedes, the Morenos were back at Onyx demanding repairs or reimbursement.

The Morenos said they paid $14,000 cash for the car. They said the dealer hid defects, including that it needed a new transmission.

"It turned out to be jacked up," Kain said in a phone interview from Hawaii. "Rather than go back and forth for months ... they gave us this other vehicle."

The Morenos said Onyx offered the Pathfinder as a trade. But it wasn't a straight swap. The dealer wanted an additional $500. The Morenos paid it, signed the paperwork and arranged to ship the SUV across the Pacific. They still have the bill of sale from Onyx.

Regina Moreno, bought a vehicle from Onyx Motorsports It's a huge scam, a ginormous scam. It's a scam within a scam. ... You don't think that a dealer of luxury cars is going to do this. Quote icon

You can imagine their surprise when Virrey contacted them a couple of months later via Facebook and told them she was the legal owner of their SUV.

"It's a huge scam, a ginormous scam," Regina said. "It's a scam within a scam. ... You don't think that a dealer of luxury cars is going to do this."

The Morenos were skeptical at first. But Virrey had filed a complaint with the Arizona Department of Transportation. She tracked them down through title documents and gave them the name of the detective investigating the case.

The Morenos said they weren't sure what to do. They weren't about to go tooling around in the Pathfinder, not until there was a legal resolution. So they put the Nissan in storage and bought a new car.

"We're into this for like $20,000," Regina said, ticking off the costs: $14,000 for the Mercedes, $500 for the Pathfinder, $3,000 to ship the car and $2,500 for a new car.

"It's a lot of money ... a quarter of your income," she said. "And there's no clear-cut, friggin' answers. It's just a huge, huge, huge mess."

In Prescott, Virrey reached the same conclusion. She'd given up hope of getting the car back and, even if she did, she couldn't afford dual payments.

She called the finance company, told them the car was in Hawaii. And agreed to a voluntary repossession.

Unraveling the string of ownership

The police officer who responded to Virrey's call at Main Auto wanted to know who owned the dealership.

Rosselli had told Vierry three weeks earlier that Kankash and his wife were the owners. Now a man Vierry had never seen before emerged from the office and said he was the owner.

He identified himself as Roger Matta and told the officer he had no connection to Onyx or Kankash. He said he only knew Kankash by his first name, "Rhad."

According to Virrey, Matta claimed he'd owned Main Auto Group for months and hadn't dealt with Kankash since taking it over. Incensed, Virrey demanded to know about her Pathfinder.

"He said, 'That's not me. I'm not in business with Rhad,'" Virrey said, adding Matta dismissed questions about how Onyx staff ended up working at Main Auto Group. "He said, 'That is different.'"

Show caption Hide caption Records show that Kankash and Roger Matta, along with another partner, owned Main Auto. Matta then became the company's statutory agent and changed the name... Records show that Kankash and Roger Matta, along with another partner, owned Main Auto. Matta then became the company's statutory agent and changed the name to RPM Motors. He says he was another of Kankash's victims. Robert Anglen/The Republic

In an interview with The Republic, Matta denied knowing Kankash. He said he bought Main Auto from Kankash and in March was forced to change the name of the dealership to RPM Motors because of all the "negative stuff."

Matta said he and the former staff at Onyx were victims of Kankash's financial schemes.

"He hurt lots of people," Matta said. "He hurt us, too."

Kankash told a different story about his relationship with Matta.

He said Matta was his business partner and they owned Main Auto along with a third partner named Elie Chaiban. Kankash said Matta and Chaiban recently bought him out.

Arizona Corporation Commission records support his claims. They show Kankash, Matta and Chaiban were members of the Main Auto Group LLC. In October, Kankash removed himself as the company's statutory agent; the agent then became Matta.

Kankash insisted Onyx was separate from Main Auto, despite that managers and customers' cars moved from one dealership to the other.

"I had to store them somewhere," Kankash said.

Gilmore scoffed at Kankash's claims.

"Anyone with any common sense can see that it is organized," Gilmore said. " ... I'm astonished they are able to get away with it."

Ties to another failed dealership

The owners and managers of Onyx, Main Auto and RPM have close ties to a Scottsdale car dealership that went out of business after being raided by state and federal authorities.

Before opening Onyx, Kankash, his wife and Rosselli all worked at Luxor Auto Group on Scottsdale Road.

Luxor's owners, Hamid and Saeid Salari, were arrested in 2014 and charged with money laundering, conspiracy and currency violations. Federal authorities accused them of using the dealership to front cash purchases of cars for drug dealers.

The charges were later dropped as part of a plea agreement. The Salaris pleaded guilty to one charge each of failing to report a financial transaction in excess of $10,000, a misdemeanor.

The last name is no coincidence. Kankash is the Salari's brother-in-law. His wife, Sahar Salari, is their sister.

Show caption Hide caption Luxor Auto Group's owners were arrested in 2014 and charged with money laundering, conspiracy and currency violations. Federal authorities accused them of using the dealership... Luxor Auto Group's owners were arrested in 2014 and charged with money laundering, conspiracy and currency violations. Federal authorities accused them of using the dealership to front cash purchases of cars for drug dealers. The charges were later dropped. The Republic

Kankash confirmed that both he and his wife worked as managers at Luxor. They were not charged with any crimes connected to the dealership.

According to court documents, an undercover agent posing as an ecstasy dealer met with Hamid or Saeid Salari three times and offered a total of $290,000 cash to buy cars without reporting the sale or registering the buyer's name.

Hamid Salari in 2015 said the raid damaged their reputation and forced the brothers to close their business and file bankruptcy. But that wasn't the end of the financial saga.

Two finance companies that provided operating capital for Luxor accused Hamid and Saeid Salari in separate lawsuits of taking company assets with a combined worth of $1.3 million.

Automotive Finance Corporation obtained a $866,413 judgment against Hamid in 2015. Despite a settlement agreement, the finance company said Hamid Salari fraudulently set up an irrevocable trust and transferred Luxor's assets to his new company.

Saeid Salari faced similar allegations of fraud. Nextgear Capital Inc., accused him in a 2017 lawsuit of selling nine of 31 automobiles used as collateral for loans. Nextgear said Saeid Salari sold the cars but didn't turn over the profits. The cars were worth $457,737.

Saeid settled the case for an undisclosed amount. Last year, he opened a new high-end car dealership in Scottsdale called Creative Bespoke.

Saeid Salari said his new business is not connected to his sister, Kankash or Matta, whom he described as a friend. He said he has not done anything wrong.

"It has zero to do with them," Saeid Salari said in a June interview. "I didn't do any business with any of them. I have zero to do with RPM."

Finance manager claims she was victim

Rosselli, who worked at Luxor then took jobs at Onyx, Main and RPM, said she is guilty only of trusting the Salari and Kankash families.

"The stress of all of this has brought me to feeling depressed, angry, sad and full of mixed emotions," she said. "I can say that I was a victim."

Lisa Rosselli, former finance manager at Onyx Motorsports The stress of all of this has brought me to feeling depressed, angry, sad and full of mixed emotions. I can say that I was a victim. Quote icon

Rosselli said being the finance manager did not mean she had any control over money. In a tear-filled phone interview, she said she treated customers with kindness, respect and compassion.

"An automotive finance manager does not handle the finances of a business," she said in follow-up emails. "If people want to think that I was in charge or had anything to do with the horrible business decisions made by the owners, I have no control over their opinions."

Rosselli said her job was obtaining loans for customers and collecting payments on the cars. She said Sahar Salari was the title clerk and handled all of the finances and accounting at Onyx; Sahar Salari also was the title clerk and office manager at Luxor.

"I spent countless hours trying to help numerous consumers, and in three cases I actually assisted them in gaining access to their trade-ins that were never paid off," she said.

Rosselli was a correctional officer for the Arizona Department of Corrections at Lewis Prison from 2008-2010. According to her LinkedIn page, she has worked as a finance director for nearly a decade.

She said working at Luxor made it hard to find another job in the automobile industry

"After the owners of Luxor made their horrible business decisions and decided to do what they did, no one wanted to hire me," Rosselli said. "As a matter of fact, Hamid and Saeid owe me $11,500 in unpaid income. That is money I will never see."

She was unemployed for months. Rosselli said she was on the brink of losing her home and relying on food banks for groceries when Kankash offered her a job at Onyx.

"I thought that his business would be free of financial issues, and he would run it smart, considering the (business) demise of his wife's family members," she said, adding when Onyx closed down, Kankash sent employees to Main Auto.

Buying a used car? Here are some tips. The used car industry is a tricky one to navigate. Consumer experts share their advice for buyers in the market for a used car. Melanie Anzidei, NorthJersey.com

Complaints dogged employees

Customer complaints followed closely behind employees. Rosselli said Kankash and Sahar Salari dodged calls and left employees to deal with the fallout.

"Farhad would tell us to relay a message to a customer and we would do this, believing he would follow through, and guess what? He never did," she said. "That is when the vicious cycle began again, when the false promises made by Farhad to pay off trades, complete title work, reissue checks ... were broken."

Rosselli said when Kankash and Sahar Salari bailed on Main Auto Group and filed for bankruptcy, Matta asked her to stay on at RPM.

She said Matta has no affiliation with the Kankash or Salari families and doesn't deserve to have his business tarnished.

Buyers, including Virrey and Gilmore, said they believe she is culpable in the car scheme — and the paperwork she signed and prepared shows the level of her involvement.

That Rosselli continued working at the dealerships proves her lack of remorse, Virrey said.

"For someone who had nothing to do with ... shady activity, you think she would have distanced herself from them far sooner, " she said.

Gilmore said matter-of-factly: "Lisa should never get a job at a dealership again."

Rosselli insisted she tried to help customers and wants authorities to investigate.

"The attorney general will have to step up and take action against those who did nothing but steal from innocent individuals," Rosselli said. "It is stealing, no matter which way you look at it."

RELATED: This is where used cars on Arizona's dealer lots come from

Kankash accused of taking millions

Customers aren't the only ones who say they were ripped off.

The owner of a Wisconsin finance company said Kankash took $3.8 million meant for securing inventory and transferred it to several personal accounts before filing for bankruptcy.

"It is my opinion from the banking records I have seen that there was a lot of shady money transfers going on between Onyx and a few other dealers outside of just Main Auto," said David Braeger, CEO of Braeger Finance. "There seems to be a massive web of consumer and lender money, as well as vehicles, that was moved all over."

Other finance companies are also out hundreds of thousands of dollars, he said.

Braeger Finance filed a lawsuit against Kankash and his wife last year in Maricopa County Superior Court accusing them of fraud, misrepresentation, unjust enrichment and breach of contract.

Braeger said during a meeting of creditors in the bankruptcy case, Kankash "pled the Fifth" to questions about where the money went.

David Braeger, CEO of Braeger Finance My company is devastated to the point if funds are not recovered, we will be bankrupt. It makes me sick to think what Kankash and his family has probably done to tons of consumers. Quote icon

Financial records show Kankash took millions of dollars from Onyx bank accounts and sent the funds to other dealerships, limited liability companies he created and his personal accounts, Braeger said.

"Kankash and ... his wife put a tremendous amount of effort into manipulating financial statements, inventory reports, using duplicate titles, fake titles and other strategies to commit fraud," Braeger said. "We also do know that Kankash and his wife took personal loans out on financed vehicles that we and other companies had already financed."

Kankash refused to discuss Braeger's allegations. He acknowledged that he and Sahar bought a $1 million house in Scottsdale shortly before his business failed last year. He said the home was unrelated to his business and the money came from other sources.

Braeger's company offers what the car industry refers to as "floor financing." The money is meant to build up a dealership's inventory, to pay for all those flashy vehicles in the showroom and on the lot. The cars serve as collateral or security on the loan.

Braeger said 90 percent of his interactions were with Kankash and Sahar. He said when Kankash's "stories began to fall apart," Rosselli helped by providing inventory reports and other documents Kankash wanted kept private.

"My company is devastated to the point if funds are not recovered, we will be bankrupt," Braeger said. "It makes me sick to think what Kankash and his family has probably done to tons of consumers."

If you have bought a used car or truck in Arizona over the past couple decades, or traded one back to a dealer, there's a good chance it was brought to an auction lot, inspected, cleaned and possibly reconditioned, then sold. Wochit

Consumers: Where are authorities?

Authorities say they can't do anything to help customers unwind loans or recover lost money and cars from Onyx.

The nature of auto loans makes criminal enforcement challenging, since disputes over financial agreements at the heart of auto-loan contracts are considered civil matters.

"If it's written in the contract, if the dealer says in the contract that he will pay off the lien and it's listed there, it's not anything we can deal with," said Lt. Scott Gamble of Arizona Department of Transportation's Office of Inspector General. "It's a civil matter. It is a breach of a contract."

Lt. Scott Gamble, Arizona Department of Transportation's Office of Inspector General If it's written in the contract, if the dealer says in the contract that he will pay off the lien and it's listed there, it's not anything we can deal with. It's a civil matter. It is a breach of a contract. Quote icon

Several customers have filed complaints against Onyx with ADOT, which licenses and regulates car dealers in the state.

Kankash and car buyers confirmed interviews with an ADOT detective. Customers laid out the title schemes and the unpaid loans. Kankash said he "worked with" the detective to clear titles on cars.

ADOT officials said they cannot confirm nor deny the existence of any investigation into Onyx.

Gamble made a clear distinction between recovering money for consumers and prosecuting cases of fraud. He said if his agency finds evidence of fraud during an investigation, it will take action.

"Bankruptcy does not protect someone from criminal liability." he said. "Bankruptcy will only protect you from creditors; it doesn't protect you from criminal violations."

Gamble said his office responded to 1,253 calls for service in 2018, which included title complaints and unlicensed dealers. He said cases involving dealers failing to issue title and pay off loans on trade-ins are uncommon in Arizona.

"If not paying off the lien is determined to be part of the fraud, then we will still pursue it," Gamble said.

The number of people damaged by Onyx is unknown. Kankash initially said five or six buyers were affected. He later acknowledged the number might top a dozen. Bankruptcy documents, online complaints and lawsuits suggests the number could be higher.

The Arizona Attorney General's Office declined to comment on Onyx and Kankash. But customers received letters from the AG's consumer protection unit in March saying they could not take action because Onyx was out of business.

"The company has ceased operations and we are unfortunately unable to take further action on your complaint," the March 28 letter said. "If you learn that this company is operating again, please contact us."

Kankash said he never meant to hurt his customers. He said it was just the consequences of a business failure.

"There is one God," he said. "There is Karma. If I do anybody wrong, it will come back to me."

#HereToHelpAZ: Help you find answers and solve problems Have you been ripped off? The #HereToHelpAZ team is ready to try and help you. Brian Snyder, Arizona Republic

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Robert Anglen investigates consumer issues for The Republic. If you're the victim of fraud, waste or abuse, reach him at robert.anglen@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8694. Follow him on Twitter @robertanglen

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