Amount – Unknown 

 
A tow truck operator was working with a used car dealer in a scheme to steal and then resell vehicles without notifying the owners that the vehicles had been towed. The two were charged with more than 30 felonies for stealing and selling vehicles towed from various parking lots throughout the region. The tow shop owner pleaded guilty to grand larceny and was sentenced to two to six years in prison; the dealership owner pleaded guilty to criminal possession of stolen property and sentenced to five years of probation.  
 
The tow operator would steal vehicles from various lots and sell them to the dealership, who would create fraudulent ownership documents in order to resell the vehicles without the owner's knowledge or permission. In cases where owners discovered their vehicles had been towed to the lot, the tow company would either ignore the contract or demand excessive fees of up to $1,000 a day for the owner to recover their vehicle.