A federal judge has sentenced a used car salesman to seven years in prison for defrauding $1.2 million from Navy Federal Credit Union.

According to the complaint, Jady Brooks was working in Rocky Mount, N.C., when he recruited buyers to obtain loans from the $48 billion credit union for cars that did not exist. He would then share some of the funds with the buyers. Even though the cars did not exist, some of the buyers made payments to Navy Federal.

U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson ordered Brooks to pay nearly $1.2 million back to the Vienna, Va.-based credit union.

Because of his past criminal record, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan M. Salsbury asked the judge to sentence Brooks to nine years in prison.

Brooks was previously convicted on possession of stolen property, grand larceny, assault, trespassing and malicious wounding, according to Salsbury. In handing down the seven-year prison sentence for his crime against Navy Federal, Jackson said Brooks never served more than 14 months in prison for his previous convictions.

Brooks' attorney pleaded to Jackson for leniency asking for a three-year sentence. However, the judge rejected the pleas saying Brooks committed the scam against Navy Federal over a two-year period and did not make any attempts to stop the fraudulent behavior.

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