Surviving Yusuf Olatunji Fatai

When I saw the Atlanta News First story about a used-car buyer finally getting his refund, I wasn’t surprised. I was triggered. Because the dealer in that story is my ex-husband, Yusuf Olatunji Fatai, and I’ve seen this pattern up close considering I am a victim of his shady business practices.

A 21-year-old bought a used Kia for $8,000. Clean title. No obvious red flags.
Less than an hour later, the car broke down on the freeway and started smoking very badly. A brand new car which never made it home. Unfortunate.

What followed were months of delays, attempted repairs, and promises that went nowhere. If you’ve dealt with Yusuf before, you know how this goes, bounced checks, fake wire confirmations, shady paperwork, and A LOT of lies—just enough effort to look cooperative, never enough to actually resolve anything.

Later, the investigation revealed the car had been labeled a biohazard vehicle at auction. That wasn’t disclosed which could possibly violate Georgia law, let’s be honest: people deserve the truth before handing over thousands of dollars.

Eventually, Yusuf agreed to refund $7,500, $500 less than what was paid originally.

The $7,500 check bounced. Which is not a surprise to me considering I have also had the same experience receiving a bounced check from him knowingly written from a closed bank account.

That moment matters, because that’s where people usually give up—out of exhaustion. And exhaustion is where accountability goes to die. Yusuf counts on his victims to get tired and stop speaking up.

Only after the news story aired did the money suddenly appear for the victim. A wire transfer. Quick and clean. Not because it was right, but because people were watching and he has been exposed to the state officials and by the news.

This is exactly why I write. Quiet conversations never worked for me. Private suffering didn’t matter. Public exposure matters.

If you’re reading this, learn from it. Don’t ignore red flags just because paperwork looks clean. Don’t trust promises without action. And don’t let anyone convince you that telling the truth out loud is wrong.

Sometimes it’s the only thing that works.

That’s why this blog exists.