The person at the center of this case
Multiple victims (car dealership owners across 5 states)
Cold Case · Open
4 years waiting · since 2021
ISMAIL SHALASH
Justice for Multiple victims (car dealership owners across 5 states) — the trail went cold in 2021, but the truth hasn't.
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Key leads to think about
🎯
suspect
Lead #1Ismail Shalash used the alias 'Armand Brigante' and claimed to represent MDDI Inc. to deceive victims into believing he was a separate individual—how many other aliases may he be using?
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evidence
Lead #2Approximately $3.4 million in fraudulent transactions across 5 states—what financial institutions processed these payments and can transaction records reveal his current location?
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location
Lead #3Shalash has ties to Cincinnati, Ohio and dual citizenship with Jordan and Palestine—has he fled to the Middle East or is he still operating within the United States?
Ismail Shalash is wanted for wire fraud and money laundering involving the sale of luxury vehicles to car dealerships across multiple states. Between 2021 and the present, Shalash allegedly defrauded victims of approximately $3.4 million by taking payment for vehicles that were never delivered and using aliases to conceal his identity. A federal arrest warrant was issued on September 30, 2021, and he remains at large with known ties to Cincinnati, Ohio and dual citizenship in Jordan and Palestine.
Case
#1003
United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio; Federal Bureau of Investigation
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More leads to consider
Beyond the top three above — each detail below could be the thread that pulls this case open.
💡
clue
Lead #4The scheme involved selling luxury vehicles to car dealerships with promises of delivery—are there patterns in which dealerships were targeted or which vehicle types were promised?
Have information about any of these leads?
Even the smallest detail could be the key to solving this case.
Official wording
Source Narrative
Wire Fraud and Laundering of Money Instruments Caution: Ismail Shalash is wanted for his alleged role in money laundering. Shalash would sell luxury vehicles online to owners of privately owned car dealerships in various states and never produce the promised product upon receipt of payment.
Shalash would at times use the alias of “Armand Brigante” of MDDI Inc. to deceive victims into believing that Shalash and “Armand Brigante” were two separate individuals.
Shalash would then allegedly sell vehicles to car dealerships with the promise that the vehicle would be delivered. In most instances and when the victims believed an unreasonable amount of time passed for the purchased vehicles to be delivered, victims would aggressively try to contact Shalash to no avail or without remedy.
Ultimately, the vehicles were never delivered and the victims received no refund. Shalash attempted to allegedly defraud 8 victims in 5 different states for a total amount of approximately 3.4 million dollars.
Shalash allegedly defrauded 5 different victims in 4 different states for the approximate amount of 1.7 million dollars. On September 30, 2021, a federal arrest warrant was issued for Shalash after he was charged with wire fraud and laundering of money instruments by the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.
Remarks: Shalash has dual citizenship with Jordan and Palestine. He also has ties to Cincinnati, Ohio.
Timeline of Events
🕵️
2021-09-30
Federal Arrest Warrant Issued
Ismail Shalash was charged with wire fraud and laundering of money instruments by the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
Key Locations
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Case Information
Incident:September 30, 2021
Last Updated:May 12, 2026
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Case Information
Incident:September 30, 2021
Last Updated:May 12, 2026