The United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, Alexander M.M. Uballez, announced September 6 that Christina Joyner, 47, of Rio Rancho, N.M., pleaded guilty to wire fraud. According to the plea agreement and court records, Joyner worked for 25 years as a bookkeeper for Quanz Motor Car Company, that operated as Quanz Auto […]
Collision Repair Center Office Secretary Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stealing Over $200,000 from Employer
Rhode Island woman pleaded guilty to mail fraud. A Pawtucket, R.I. woman who, while working as office secretary at Ideal Auto Body in Cranston, devised a scheme to fraudulently obtain the proceeds of nearly 200 checks provided to customers by their insurance companies to pay for vehicle repairs, has been sentenced to two years in federal […]
Automotive Lift Institute Reports Counterfeit Gold Certification Label Found in Ontario, Canada
The Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) warned of counterfeit gold “Certified Automotive Lift” labels being applied to automotive lifts. The ALI safety notification said that that certain automotive lifts from Budget Automotive Equipment Inc. installed in Ontario and possibly other Canadian provinces or U.S. States may bear a fraudulent declaration of compliance and product certification intended […]
Massachusetts Auto Dealer Pays $1 Million for Exploiting State Unemployment System During Pandemic
According to Commonwealth Attorney General, company encouraged furloughed employees who were collecting state unemployment benefits to work without pay. Massachusetts car dealer Colonial Automotive Group, Inc. has agreed to pay $1 million in penalties to settle claims that it took advantage of state unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic, Attorney General Maura Healey announced. Following […]
Pennsylvania Towing Company Owner Among More than Dozen Charged with Conspiring to Commit $24 Million PPP Loan Fraud
A Florida recording artist and a Pennsylvania towing company owner have been charged for their alleged participation in a scheme to file fraudulent loan applications seeking more than $24 million in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Diamond […]
Tokio Marine Indonesia Implements Shift AI Anti-Fraud Technology
Shift Technology announced that PT Asuransi Tokio Marine Indonesia has deployed Shift Technology’s Force fraud detection solution for auto claims. As a result, the technology will become a crucial element in the insurance carrier’s overarching fraud prevention strategy. Tokio Marine Indonesia is one of the largest general insurers in the country. “Through our work with […]
Massachusetts Collision Repair Facility Owner Charged with Tax Fraud
The owner of Everett and Worcester, Mass. auto body repair facilities was charged yesterday with a payroll tax scheme resulting in a $292,231 tax loss. This is not Haddad’s first run in with authorities, in 2019 Haddad was charged with auto insurance fraud by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey. Haddad pleaded not guilty to the […]
North Carolina Attorney General Secures $68,000 Judgment Against Two Charlotte Collision Repair Shops
Judge also bans owner from operating an auto repair business for three years over deceptive trade practices and Motor Vehicle Act violations. North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein announced Wednesday that his office secured a $68,564.35 consent judgment against the owners of two collision repair facilities in Charlotte, N.C. A judge found Sterling Leonard Gabriel, […]
California Insurance Commissioner Now Under Fire Over Use of Public Funds for Housing
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara who apologized last week for taking reelection campaign donations from insurance industry executives and their families is under the spotlight again. Following a report in Politico that Insurance Commissioner Lara billed the state for his Sacramento apartment, a consumer group has called on California officials to investigate to determine the […]
Maryland Used Auto Parts and Scrap Dealers Convicted of Tax Fraud
A married couple in Clinton, Md. were convicted by a federal jury on June 7 of one count of conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and four counts of filing false income tax returns, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Robert […]