The article below is something that perturbs me profusely, it's exactly why I feel that the products and services usedcarwise.com provides has an extreme value to consumers and used car buyers.
I firmly believe that anyone who has either purchased our e-book or attended one of our seminars, would not have a been a victim of such a hideous crime.
We touch on this subject in our e-book concerning "Chop Shops" and how they steal cars and trucks or buy damaged vehicles then repair and resell to unsuspecting consumers.
The below criminal case is yet another reason that buyers should be educated and informed and know what to look for when used car buying.
Chop Shop Owner Guilty--Gets 11 Year Prison Sentence
In what's described as the largest chop shop organization on the east coast, Brooklyn New York used car dealer Michael Pescatore, pleaded guilty and agreed to serve an 11 year prison sentence and forfeit his amassed fortune of $12.5 million dollars in cash and property.
According to the indictment, between 1987 and June of 2004, ASTRA MOTOR CARS, INC. was a nationwide retail dealer of used and salvage motor vehicles with its principal place of business located at 455 Morgan Avenue, in Brooklyn, New York, a premise owned by the defendant NICOLE BRITTANY, LTD.
The indictment alleges that the defendants' fraudulent schemes were carried out at various locations in several states, including the largest "chop shop" on the east coast, located at ASTRA's Morgan Avenue address.
According to the government, the schemes netted the defendants in excess of $20 million in proceeds over a five year period at the expense of innocent motor vehicle purchasers. ASTRA ceased operations in June 2003 after a search warrant was executed at 455 Morgan Avenue and thousands of vehicle files and stolen motor vehicles and parts were seized.
As detailed in the indictment, the defendants acquired damaged, destroyed and stolen vehicles, used stolen parts to rebuild the vehicles, and then sold them to consumers.
The defendants bribed Department of Motor Vehicle employees in other states to accept fraudulent paperwork and issue seemingly legitimate titles for these motor vehicles.
In some instances, the vehicles were not roadworthy, having been extensively damaged and inadequately repaired, although fraudulently represented by the defendants to be undamaged used cars. To help conceal the scheme and generate "legitimate" paper work for the damaged or stolen vehicles, hundreds of motor vehicles were fictitiously sold to dead and non-existent buyers.
The indictment further alleges that ASTRA MOTORS sold and leased motor vehicles containing secret compartments, or "traps," to narcotics traffickers which facilitated the transportation and distribution of narcotics throughout the United States.
Read The Full Indictment
GM Wiper Lawsuit
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A federal lawsuit claims the windshield wipers on millions of older General Motors Corp. vehicles are defective and that the automaker should have recalled 7.5 million trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles instead of 1.7 million vehicles.
Jefferson City couple Timothy and Gloria Owen, the lead plaintiffs in the lawsuit, say they repaired their 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe in October 2004 for about $92, after the wipers failed during a storm, and GM refused to reimburse their cost. The suit seeks class- action status.
A GM spokeswoman said Tuesday she didn't think the company had reviewed the lawsuit and so had no immediate comment.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in Jefferson City and announced Tuesday by attorneys, claims GM "demonstrated a conscious disregard for the safety and well-being" of people still using those vehicles.
The suit asks a court to require GM to recall vehicles that still need repairs and to reimburse repair costs.
In 2003, GM recalled 1.7 million vehicles to replace windshield wiper circuit boards and motor covers. GM said at the time that the faulty wipers had not resulted in any fatalities. That recall was an extension of a windshield wiper replacement program GM conducted in 1998.
The lawsuit claims a federal investigation found that wiper problems have caused at least 11 crashes and 225,000 warranty claims. Attorney for the plaintiffs, Daniel Anderson of Tampa, Fla., said he was aware of at least one serious injury from a crash involving faulty wipers.
— Reported by Kelly Wiese, Associated Press
Hyundai Tiburon Clutch Defect
A class action lawsuit filed on behalf of consumers who purchased or leased a 2003 GT Coupe Hyundai Tiburon with a 2.7 liter engine claims that the motor company sold the vehicle with defective clutch components. The manufacturer also marketed its product with a warranty (which claimed to be America's Best WarrantyTM) then refused coverage, blaming failure of its product on its customers.
Lawsuits have been filed claiming that Hyundai has refused to cover the cost of repairs to fix defective clutch parts, which failed after as little as 19,000 miles of driving.
Hundreds of complaints against the 2003 Hyundai Tiburon GT with six-speed manual transmissions have been received by lawyers pursuing the lawsuits.
Although they claim to have "America's Best WarrantyTM", Hyundai is refusing to honor the warranty for the Tiburon owners who's clutches failed within 30,000 miles of driving.
In a Technical Service Bulletin sent to its dealers, Hyundai referred to the 2003 Tiburon clurch parts as "deformed". Yet when people complained about the problem and tried to claim compensation to replace the defective parts, Hyundai tried to blame their customers driving habits on the clutch failures and refused to cover any costs for replacement parts or labor.
People have reported having to pay up to $2,000 to replace the faulty clutch parts, just so they could drive their car again.
Hyundai Tiburon: Buyer Beware
Register your Hyundai Motor America Complaint
If you or a loved one has purchased a 2003 GT Coupe Hyundai Tiburon with a 2.7 liter engine, and have had your clutch fail prematurely, you may qualify for damages or remedies that may be awarded in a Tiburon clutch class action lawsuit. Please click the link below to submit your complaint for a free evaluation, or call 1-866-886-5529 toll free.
