- A Tennessee company was selling used injectors and packaging them as if they were new, genuine Ford replacement parts.
- The fraudulent operation exploited Ford’s rebate system, triggering a full-scale investigation by Homeland Security authorities.
- Investigators claim the scheme involved selling repackaged used injectors at inflated prices, profiting over $170 per sale.
Two Tennessee men have been charged with defrauding one of the biggest automakers in the world—Ford Motor Company—through a deceptive and elaborate fuel injector scam. The pair, 39-year-old John Alan Nebel and 52-year-old Joshua David Nichols, now face severe federal charges that could result in up to 20 years of prison time, alongside a hefty fine of $250,000 each.
It’s a legal saga that raises more than a few eyebrows, not only for the scope of the scam but for the blatant nature of the deception.
Authorities state that John Alan Nebel from Gallatin, Tennessee, founded a company by the name of Sumner Wholesale Auto Group, operating under the name SWAG Performance & Off-Road LLC in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Joshua David Nichols from Nashville, Tennessee, worked as an independent contractor for SWAG, and the pair packaged and sold old fuel injectors using fake labels, decals, and logos.
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Ford offers a rebate program where vehicle owners can return their old injectors and receive a $180 refund—a significant incentive for anyone looking to shave down their repair bills. According to federal authorities, Nebel and Nichols took advantage of this seemingly straightforward system in a devious and cunning way.
The two men, along with other alleged co-conspirators, are accused of devising a scheme to purchase used fuel injectors for prices ranging from $35 to $45. Instead of discarding or refurbishing them as one might expect, Nebel and Nichols allegedly repackaged these injectors to appear as brand new.
Prosecutors claim the men applied fake labels, decals, and logos to imitate authentic Ford replacement parts. Once the used injectors were repackaged, they sold them to SWAG customers at prices between $95 and $170, fully aware that the customers would then submit rebate claims to Ford for the $180 refund, believing they had purchased genuine parts.
Once Ford became aware of the alleged scheme, a team from Homeland Security Investigations was assigned to thoroughly investigate the matter. The charges, which were announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee, detail the breadth of the alleged fraudulent activities.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie N. Toussaint is overseeing the prosecution of the case, though authorities are still working to determine the full scope of the alleged fraud. If the accusations are proven true, the ramifications of this case could extend far beyond Tennessee
