Two Overland Park men face a federal indictment in connection with an alleged $4 million retail sales investment scheme.
On Nov. 24, in the U.S. District Court of Kansas in Kansas City, Kansas, Baha Ibrahim, 21, and Jawad Albadawi, 21, both of Overland Park, were each indicted separately on one count of wire fraud conspiracy, nine counts of wire fraud, one count of money laundering conspiracy, six counts of money laundering and seven counts of transacting in criminal proceeds.
Both men made their initial appearance before federal Magistrate Judge Teresa J. James.
The men are accused of allegedly soliciting money from investors, claiming that their businesses would purchase brand-name merchandise in bulk and then resell individual items online.
Instead, investigators say the pair took investors’ money and used it on lavish purchases, including expensive luxury cars, international vacations and a diamond engagement ring.
Ibrahim and Albadawi are accused of running the scheme from March to August 2024.
The men allegedly told investors they would resell merchandise online
Ibrahim and Albadawi ran several businesses, including entities named BMIU LLC, Prestige Wholesale LLC and Meta Wholesale, that were used as part of the fraud scheme, according to federal court documents.
Between March and August of last year, the two allegedly solicited money from investors by falsely claiming that these business entities would purchase merchandise wholesale, including Stanley cups, Gatorade bottles, Lululemon bags and Crocs sandals.
In their pitch, Ibrahim and Albadawi claimed that they would sell these items ordered in bulk individually on Amazon, promising a high rate of return for investors, federal court documents stated.
The two never fulfilled their promise to purchase or sell the merchandise.
The men were allegedly able to get victims to wire them large sums of money by falsely claiming they made a profit on previous investments.
Expensive cars, vacations, crypto and more
Ibrahim and Albadawi used the funds provided by their victim investors to fund “lavish lifestyles,” court documents say, including buying high-priced vehicles, jewelry and vacations.
Some of the items purchased, according to court documents, include:
- Vehicles, including a 2021 BMW M8, a 2020 Lamborghini and a 2019 Mercedes-Benz G-Class, among others
- More than $1 million in cryptocurrency
- More than $180,000 in travel expenditures, including trips to Dubai, Greece and Las Vegas
- More than $100,000 on sports betting
- An 18-karat rose gold engagement ring
- Four Samsung 55-inch gaming monitors
If convicted, the items purchased by Ibrahim and Albadawi would be forfeited to the federal government.
What’s next
Court documents show that both men were released from custody on Nov. 24, with conditions that include avoiding all contact, directly or indirectly, with any person who is or may be a victim or witness in the investigation or prosecution.
They may also not possess firearms and not use drugs or alcohol as conditions of their release.
Both suspects are scheduled for a hearing in federal court in Kansas City, Kansas, at 10 a.m. on Jan. 13, 2026.
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