The Alliance for Automotive Innovation alleges updated Right to Repair law violates motor vehicle safety regulations and is an unlawful taking of manufacturers’ intellectual property under the U.S. Constitution. The association representing manufacturers producing nearly 99 percent of cars and light trucks sold in the U.S. filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court […]
California Towing Company Owners Alleged Part of Insurance Fraud Scheme
Towing company owners Bandar “Charlie” Albadawi, 57, and Sleiman “Slim” Zeinaty, 59, along with their employee Shelley Blowers, 50, were arrested on multiple felony counts of insurance fraud and filing false documents after allegedly altering tow records to further a client’s false insurance claim. Albadawi and Zeinaty are co-owners of All Desert Towing, a commercial […]
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 […]
Justice Department Settles with Florida Towing Company for Illegally Selling or Scrapping Servicemembers’ Vehicles
The Justice Department announced it reached an agreement with ASAP Towing & Storage Company in Jacksonville, Fla, to resolve allegations that ASAP violated a federal law, the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), by auctioning off or otherwise disposing of cars owned by protected servicemembers without first obtaining court orders. Under the agreement, ASAP must pay […]
Las Vegas Man Indicted for Falsifying Collision Repair Center Tax Returns
Accountant alleged to have conspired with business owners to claim more than $11 million in false deductions from 2013-2015. A federal grand jury in Las Vegas, Nevada, returned a superseding indictment yesterday charging a Las Vegas man with conspiracy to defraud the IRS. The indictment was announced by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. […]
U.S. Justice Department Sues Florida Towing Company for Unlawfully Selling Car Belonging to Deployed Servicemember
The Justice Department filed a lawsuit in the Middle District of Florida alleging that Target Recovery Towing Inc. and Target Recovery & Transport Inc. violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), by failing to obtain a court order before auctioning off a car belonging to a U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant who was deployed overseas. The […]
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 […]
Pennsylvania Attorney General Sues Predatory Philadelphia Towing Companies
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced July 17 that the Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection filed a lawsuit against several towing companies in Philadelphia alleging that they illegally and wrongfully towed cars throughout the city, and threatened owners for payment to have their cars returned. The lawsuit is being filed against Siani’s Towing and […]
San Francisco Area Collision Repair Shop Operator Charged with Wire Fraud
Government alleges defendant orchestrated kickback scheme and lied to secure PPP loan. Geoffrey M. Palermo, owner of GMP Cars, was charged in a criminal complaint with wire fraud and making false statements in a loan application in connection with multiple schemes to defraud from 2013 to 2020. According to the complaint, Palermo, 56, of Novato, […]
LKQ Corporation Files Lawsuit Against General Motors Seeking to Have Collision Repair Part Design Patents Ruled Invalid
Federal lawsuit alleges vehicle manufacturer is seeking to undermine aftermarket parts supplier’s business relationships and seeks to change license agreement terms. LKQ Corporation filed a lawsuit in an Illinois Federal Court seeking a judgment against General Motors over the infringement and validity of collision repair part design patents. The lawsuit, LKQ Corporation and Keystone Automotive […]