Pa. AG seeks $75,000 in restitution for consumers
The office's Bureau of Consumer Protection has filed 12 legal actions to enforce settlements involving businesses and individuals in nine counties.
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The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office announced Tuesday that it is seeking more than $75,000 in restitution for consumers from businesses and persons who allegedly failed to comply with court orders.
The office's Bureau of Consumer Protection has filed 12 legal actions to enforce settlements involving businesses and individuals in nine counties, authorities said. In addition to restitution, the bureau wants to impose additional fines and bar some of the businesses from operating in the state. In a few cases, the bureau seeks to put defendants in jail for the alleged violations.
"If a court issues an order, we expect people to respect the court's authority by fully complying," said Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a statement.
The legal actions followed a review of compliance issues related to the settlements and court orders, authorities said.
Among the alleged violators are Andrei Losev, of Richboro, and his company, Lars Group Inc., which operates under the name "Hot Ride Motors" in Levittown. The defendants were accused in 2011 of misrepresenting the condition of cars they sold on eBay. They still owe $30,000 in restitution and civil penalties and have not made a payment since 2014, according to court filings in Philadelphia County.
Authorities allege that Losev and his company continued to engage in deceptive business practices by selling at least three unroadworthy cars on eBay under an account that hid their true identities. One of the victims was a Pennsylvania consumer who paid the defendants $6,960 in an eBay auction for a 1992 Chevrolet pickup truck that would have likely failed inspection, according to the state's petition for contempt.
The eBay account connected to Losev and his company claimed the truck "runs, drives great," but the consumer received a vehicle with "holes rusted through and cracks" in the frame, according to the petition.
A representative from Hot Ride Motors declined comment. Losev could not be reached for comment.
The bureau wants a court order forcing Losev and Lars Group to pay $15,000 each in civil penalties, $30,000 to cover the past due balance and make restitution to consumers who were sold the clunkers. The attorney general’s office also seeks to bar Losev and Lars Group from conducting business in the state.