TAXES: State DMV accepting A-One Auto Center customer complaints

Nov. 15--Customers who have unresolved issues over title work, registration and financing from vehicles they bought, traded in or had serviced at A-One Auto Center can file a report with the California Department of Motor Vehicles, an agency spokesman said.

"We placed the owners out of business, due to the enforcement action'' by the state Board of Equalization and Franchise Tax Board, said DMV spokesman Artemio Armenta.

Although the Department of Motor Vehicles has not been involved in enforcement of the case, Armenta said the agency is involved from an administrative standpoint. He offered this reason: The A-One Auto centers in Riverside and San Bernardino are being treated as an abandoned location.

Nader Sami, 45, and Ahmad Sami, 38, both of Riverside, were arrested Oct. 29 during a raid by state agents investigating alleged sales tax evasion and fraud.

The two, each being held in Riverside county jail on $2.6 million bail, are accused to failure to pay $2.53 million in state taxes on sales of more than $124 million from Jan. 1, 2006 through June 30 of this year.

"Any customer with pending paperwork or other matters of concern can go to the DMV website and file an 'INV 172' complaint form," Armenta said. "DMV investigators will look into these matters.''

Alleged fraud cases the DMV investigation division look into include odometer fraud, overcharged DMV fees, non-transfer of registration to the buyer within 60 days and violations of the sales finance act.

The motor vehicle department declines to discuss specific cases.

Since the raid, A-One Auto customers have raised questions about the status of cars they traded in with unpaid balances, or the status of their registration and title work. One customer, who signed a purchase agreement, said he never drove the car off the lot.

Alan Horita, manager of a Chula Vista area finance company, said one of their customers may be affected. "He traded in his vehicle thinking the dealer would pay off the finance company,'' Horita wrote, and asked: "Do you know who we can contact to find out how we can find out where is our vehicle?"

Armenta said the role of the Motor Vehicle unit that conducts criminal or administrative investigations does not obtain a financial judgment or award for the person who filed the complaint. However, it was pointed out that one avenue for monetary compensation would be through restitution ordered by a judge presiding over a criminal case.

One can also pursue a separate civil case to recover financial losses.

Since A-One Auto was out of business as of Nov. 4, Armenta wrote that a claim may also be filed with the company's performance bond-holder of record, which is Great American Insurance Co., P.O. Box 2119, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45201. State law requires a licensed dealer to carry a bond in the amount of $50,000.

The Samis bail hearing is set for Nov. 26 in Riverside County Superior Court.

Follow Debra Gruszecki on Twitter @DebInPalmSprngs and check her blog on pe.com/business

To learn more, visit:

California Department of Motor Vehicles website, www.dmv.ca.gov

Nearest DMV Investigations district office: 6292 Rivercrest Drive, Ste. A, Riverside

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