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Category Archives: litigation
International Auto Fraud Ring Busted in Four Countries
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
Posted in auto news, fools 'n frauds, litigation
Tagged amazon, auto fraud, auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, autotrader, cyber fraud, doj, e-bay, Ken Zino, paypal
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Louisiana Used Car Dealer Sentenced to Prison for Odometer Fraud
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
Posted in auto news, fools 'n frauds, litigation
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, Ken Zino, odometer fraud, used cars
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Melbourne Airport Caught Stealing from Taxpayers in NASA Scam
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
Louisiana Generating to Pay $14 Million for Clean Air Act Violations
Louisiana Generating has agreed to a settlement under the Clean Air Act at its Big Cajun II coal-fired power plant in New Roads, which will result in the elimination of more than 27,300 tons of harmful emissions per year Continue reading
Posted in alternative fuels, electric vehicles, environment, litigation, news
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, big cajun II, clean air act, coal, doj, epa, Ken Zino
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Bankrupt American Suzuki can sell off Cars with Ally Credit
American Suzuki Motor Corporation today said that it has received Bankruptcy Court approval of an agreement with Ally Financial to continue providing dealer and buyer financing while it sells off its remaining inventory of small cars. The U.S. Treasury, courtesy of taxpayers, currently holds about 74% of Ally common equity after a bailout, and $5.9 billion in mandatory convertible preferred securities, which have a dividend rate of 9%. Continue reading
BP in Plea Deal Pays $4 Billion for Deepwater Horizon Gulf Oil Spill. Highest Execs Free from Criminal Charges as Stockholders Pay Fines
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
Posted in environment, fools 'n frauds, litigation, news
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, bp, deepwater horizon, Ken Zino, oil spills
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GM and BMW Diagnostic Tool Counterfeiter Arrested in Virginia
The seller of Chinese-built counterfeit tools was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia for alleged participating in a conspiracy to sell U.S. consumers more than $3 million worth of counterfeit General Motors (GM) and Bavarian Motor Works (BMW) automotive diagnostic tools, electronic keys and fobs. Continue reading
Taiwan Auto Lights Maker Guilty of Price Fixing
A Taiwan-based auto lights manufacturer and its aftermarket U.S. distributor have pleaded guilty for participating in a seven-year, international conspiracy to fix the prices of auto lights. Tainan County, Taiwan-based Eagle Eyes Traffic Industrial Company and its U.S. subsidiary, Chino, … Continue reading
U.S. Motorcycle Thefts Decrease to One Every 11 Minutes
The National Insurance Crime Bureau today said that motorcycle thefts were down 6% in 2011 from their 2010 total. This means 46,667 motorcycles reported stolen in 2011 compared with 49,791 in 2010. The theft rate, which sounds low, actually averages to one motorcycle theft every 11 minutes. Continue reading
Firing of BMW Salesperson for Facebook Photos Upheld
The National Labor Relations Board has found that the firing of a BMW salesperson for photos and comments posted to his Facebook page did not violate federal labor law, because the activity was not protected. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, labor issues, litigation, people, results
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, facebook, Ken Zino, knauz bmw, nlrb
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BP Fined Again, this time for Oil Spill Violations in Maryland
EPA alleged that BP Products violated federal regulations requiring oil storage facilities to conduct drills and exercises to respond to oil spills. The civil penalty is EPA’s highest to date for violations of oil drills and exercises requirements where there was no discharge of oil. BP, of course, was responsible for dumping 5 billion gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico after a blowout on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig killed 11 men. A former BP worker is under indictment for the disaster in an ongoing investigation that has thus far not reached executive levels. Continue reading
Posted in environment, litigation, news, results, safety, transportation
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, big oil, bp, bp curtis bay, deepwater horizon, doj, epa, Ken Zino, oil spills
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Fraud Charges Filed in Gulf Oil Cleanup Employment Scam
A 22-count federal indictment was unsealed in New Orleans charging Connie M. Knight, 46, with impersonating a federal employee in order to get people to pay her for fraudulent hazardous waste safety training after the BP Deepwater Horizon Gulf oil spill. Continue reading
Posted in economy, environment, fools 'n frauds, litigation, news, people, safety, transportation
Tagged autoinformed.com, automotive news, bp, bp deepwater oil spill, connie m. knight, doj, gulf fisheries, Ken Zino, osha, uto informed
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Ex Cop Gets Prison Sentence for Robbing I-65 Motorists
A former Alabama police officer has been sentenced to prison for stealing money and property from motorists. The latter day highwayman, Jessie Alan Fuller, 25, of Pensacola, Florida was sentenced to 37 months in prison and two years supervised release. Continue reading
Nippon Seiki to Plead Guilt of Price Fixing on Instrument Panels
Nagoka, Japan-based Nippon Seiki Company has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $1 million criminal fine for its role in a conspiracy to fix prices of instrument panel clusters installed in cars sold in the United States and elsewhere, the Department of Justice announced today. Including Nippon Seiki, eight companies and 11 executives – most of them Japanese – have been charged in the department’s ongoing investigation into price fixing and bid rigging in the auto parts industry. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, fools 'n frauds, litigation, news, people
Tagged auto informed, auto parts price fixing, autoinformed.com, automotive news, bid rigging, doj, Ken Zino, Nippon Seiki, price fxing
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Auto Theft UK Style – $473 Million Unrecovered in 2011 Alone
The latest auto theft numbers in Great Britain are just as grim as in the U.S. In 2011, 65,000 vehicles were taken from their owners in the UK and never recovered for losses of £300 million or $473 million. More than two thirds (71%) of stolen cars disappear, never to be seen again. As they are stripped for either parts or shipped out of the country, according to swiftcover.com. Not surprisingly, more expensive stolen cars are more likely to disappear without a trace. Continue reading
