Category Archives: people

Alaskan Contractor to Serve Time for Dumping Hazardous Waste

Posted on 2 January 2013 by Ken Zino

The former owner of a road and parking lot painting and striping business in Anchorage, Alaska will serve time in prison for dumping hazardous waste. William Duran Vizzerra, Jr., 43, was sentenced by Chief Judge Ralph R. Beistline to 15 months in prison. The court also ordered Vizzerra to pay $395,319 in restitution to two victims. Continue reading →

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Top Ten Auto Stories of 2012

Posted on 31 December 2012 by Ken Zino

While it’s the job of historians to accurately weigh and assess events years after the fact when more documents, memoirs, special pleadings and perspective are available, journalists staring down a deadline have no such option. Here is AutoInformed on the significant automotive related stories of the 2012 year, with our wry awareness, as always, that columnists conduct their education in public. Continue reading →

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Santa One Cleared for Flight by FAA

Posted on 24 December 2012 by Ken Zino

AutoInformed salutes the real elves at the FAA, the hard working men and women who are our air traffic controllers. In spite of an FAA management bureaucracy that is often clueless and ineffective, these elves know how to move the aluminum or in this case a wooden sleigh without worrying about fine points of regulations while using demonstrably deficient equipment. Therefore, AutoInformed sends season’s greetings to some of the hardest working civil servants in the U.S. And to all a good night, err flight. Continue reading →

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Toyota to Pay Record $17.35 Million for Lexus Safety Cover-Up

Posted on 18 December 2012 by Ken Zino

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today announced that Toyota Motor Corporation would pay $17.35 million, the maximum fine, in response to the agency’s assertion that the automaker once again failed to report a safety defect to the federal government in a timely manner. Continue reading →

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U.S. Treasury Sells Final Shares of AIG Common Stock. Taxpayers Earn $22.7 Billion! More Profits to Come from the Bailout

Posted on 11 December 2012 by Ken Zino

Along with today’s stock sale, the return to date on the Federal Reserve and Treasury’s combined $182 billion commitment to bailout AIG during the financial crisis is now $22.7 billion. Treasury has now earned a positive return of $5 billion and the Federal Reserve has posted a profit of $17.7 billion. Continue reading →

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Richmond Towing Company Takes Car and Driver Home for $50

Posted on 6 December 2012 by Ken Zino

Seibert’s Towing a Richmond Virginia firm, is running a new “Toast’d Tow” program that returns drivers and their cars home for just $50 between 10pm and 4am. Toast’d Tow operates seven nights a week, giving holiday revelers another option for getting home safely – car included. Delivery of drivers and vehicles outside the city limits incurs an additional $1.50 per mile charge. Continue reading →

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International Auto Fraud Ring Busted in Four Countries

Posted on 6 December 2012 by Ken Zino

Law enforcement officials in Romania, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom and Canada arrested six Romanian nationals today for their alleged involvement in a sophisticated multimillion-dollar auto fraud scheme. The U.S. Department of Justice said the defendants were responsible for saturating Internet marketplace websites including eBay, Cars.com, AutoTrader.com and CycleTrader.com with detailed advertisements for cars, motorcycles, boats and other high-value items generally priced in the $10,000 to $45,000 range. Unbeknownst to the buyers, however, the merchandise did not exist. Continue reading →

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Louisiana Used Car Dealer Sentenced to Prison for Odometer Fraud

Posted on 29 November 2012 by Ken Zino

Beau Michael Guidry of Baton Rouge, Louisiana was busted flat today by a U.S. District Court judge who sentenced the used car dealer to 20 months in prison for rolling back the odometers on used cars. Moreover, the court ordered Guidry to pay $72,805.51 in restitution to the victims of his crimes. Continue reading →

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Melbourne Airport Caught Stealing from Taxpayers in NASA Scam

Posted on 28 November 2012 by Ken Zino

The misuse of NASA funding by two airport entities has resulted in millions of dollars of fines under the False Claims Act, which is used to look after taxpayer funded government grants. The Technological Research and Development Authority will pay $15 million to resolve allegations that it violated the Act in connection with grants from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Economic Development Administration (EDA) of the Department of Commerce, the Justice Department said Continue reading →

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Chinese Qoros Defends Name against Kia Quoris in EU

Posted on 26 November 2012 by Ken Zino

Upstart Chinese automaker Qoros Automotive Company has successfully defended it brand name against South Korean Kia in a German Court. A district court in Hamburg granted Qoros’ motion for a preliminary injunction against Kia Motors Corporation that bars Kia from using the name “Quoris motor vehicles in the European Union. The court found that coexistence of “Qoros and “Quoris” in a car market would cause consumer confusion. Continue reading →

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Thanksgiving for Our Democracy

Posted on 22 November 2012 by Ken Zino

What is often called the most American of holidays, Thanksgiving, had its roots in pilgrim and other colonial celebrations of refugee and immigrant survival and bountiful harvests going back to the early 17th century. Continue reading →

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Lang Lang becomes Volkswagen Group Promoter

Posted on 21 November 2012 by Ken Zino

Lang Lang, a pianist, and Volkswagen Group, an automaker, signed a multi-year cooperation agreement today for an undisclosed amount. As part of the deal, Lang Lang will arrive, arrive at his concerts all over the world in vehicles provided by Volkswagen. Continue reading →

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BP in Plea Deal Pays $4 Billion for Deepwater Horizon Gulf Oil Spill. Highest Execs Free from Criminal Charges as Stockholders Pay Fines

Posted on 15 November 2012 by Ken Zino

BP shareholders will pay $4 billion in criminal fines and penalties because of the Deepwater Horizon Oil spill that killed 11 people and caused the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history. The highest BP executive are now clear of future criminal charges as the result of the plea bargain where stockholder will pay fines for causing the monumental oil pollution that is still despoiling the Gulf Coast coast. During the disaster, BP publicly maintained that 5,000 gallons of oil were spewing forth daily into the Gulf, when in fact 60,000 gallons a day were gushing into the water and destroying the ecosystem. Continue reading →

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Chinese Motorcycles, RVs and Engines Violate Clean Air Act

Posted on 14 November 2012 by Ken Zino

Senior executives at two vehicle and engine importers in California will pay a $50,000 penalty because the products sold were in violation of Clean Air Act regulations. The defendants, Yuan Cheng International Group, Inc. (YCIG) and NST, Inc. (NST), located in Montclair, California, allegedly imported and sold vehicles and engines from China that had excessive levels of emissions. Continue reading →

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Hyundai Cancels Media Event in Wake of EPA MPG Fraud

Posted on 5 November 2012 by Ken Zino

Hyundai has just canceled a media event in Michigan after the revelation last Friday that 600,000 of its 2010-2012 models had fraudulent EPA stickers that overstated mileage ratings by as much as 3 mpg. Continue reading →

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