Senator Blumenthal has repeatedly called on the U.S. DOJ to enforce the 1963 insurance industry antitrust consent decree to protect consumers and competition. U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut joined members of the Auto Body Association of Connecticut yesterday to warn the public of the potential consequences of the proposed termination of a 1963 consent […]
AASP/NJ Urges Collision Repair Industry to Defend 1963 Consent Decree
The Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of New Jersey (AASP/NJ) is taking action in defense of the 1963 insurance industry antitrust consent decree that has been proposed for termination by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). AASP/NJ has created an online petition to assist members in quickly submitting their comments and telling the DOJ just […]
1963 Insurance Anti-Trust Consent Decree Nominated for Termination
For decades collision repair facility operators who oppose insurance company direct repair programs and labor rate setting have sought to have an over 55 year old consent decree applied to today’s industry. The 1963 consent decree reached between the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) and three insurance industry trade associations has been nominated to be officially […]
Counterfeit Airbag Supplier Sentenced To Prison
Ohio man ordered to pay over $75,000 and serve one year in prison. U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced that David Nichols, 69, of Marysville, Ohio, who was convicted of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit air bags, was sentenced to serve one year in prison and ordered to pay $75,846 in restitution by U.S. […]
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 […]
FCA US to Pay $800 Million Settlement to Resolve Allegations of Cheating on Diesel Emissions Test
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (NYSE:FCAU) announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary FCA US LLC has reached final settlements on civil, environmental and consumer claims with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the State of California, 49 other States and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, agreeing […]
Boston Collision Repair Shop Owner Pleads Guilty to Tax Fraud
Massachusetts shop owner failed to report over $569,000 in income to the IRS. The owner of a Hyde Park auto body shop pleaded guilty October 15 in federal court in Boston in connection with preparing false tax returns for his company, Automotive Specialties Inc. Richard Poillucci, 62, of Easton, Mass., pleaded guilty to three counts […]
Collision Repair Shop Owner Pleads Guilty in Odometer Fraud Scheme
The U.S. Department of Justice yesterday reported that a Georgia man who owns a collision repair shop in Virginia pleaded guilty to operating an odometer fraud scheme involving over 100 vehicles. Paul Robinson, 37, of Lawrenceville, Ga., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Norfolk, Virginia, to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud […]
Takata Pleads Guilty and Pay $1 Billion in Criminal Penalties for Airbag Scheme
Three Takata Executives Charged with Wire Fraud and Conspiracy Tokyo-based Takata Corporation agreed on Friday agreed to plead guilty to wire fraud and pay a total of $1 billion in criminal penalties stemming from the company’s fraudulent conduct in relation to sales of defective airbag inflators. An indictment was also unsealed charging three Takata executives […]
Japanese Auto Parts Company Pleads Guilty to Antitrust Conspiracy
Company Agrees to Pay $7.2 Million Criminal Fine Usui Kokusai Sangyo Kaisha Ltd. (Usui), an automotive parts manufacturer based in Shimizu, Japan, has agreed to plead guilty and pay a $7.2 million criminal fine for its role in a criminal conspiracy involving automotive steel tubes sold to automobile manufacturers in the United States and elsewhere, […]