Wire fraud case against Classic Motor Carriages, AKA "StreetBeasts"
In 1994, the Florida Attorney General's office filed suit against Classic Motor Carriages, on behalf of hundreds of defrauded customers, in USA v. GGL d/b/a Classic Motor Carriages. ("GGL" stands for George G. Levin, the owner of Classic Motor Carriages). For the relevant court documents, see: Streetbeasts_fraud_charges. Pdf and Streetbeasts_judgement. Pdf.
The case stated that, over a period of eleven years, Classic Motor Carriages defrauded people by "knowingly and willfully" making "false and misleading statements, representations, and promises" in regard to the "quality of the kit car purchased, the delivery time to the customer and the required assembly time." In addition, "false and fraudulent representations" were made to obtain deposits from prospective customers. Finally, the case stated that Classic Motor Carriages induced its customers to pay for kit cars, and then "failed to provide the automotive parts necessary for complete assembly."
George G. Levin eventually pleaded guilty in the case in summer of 1999, and was ordered to pay $2.5 million in restitution. Shortly thereafter, sales plummeted, and Classic Motor Carriages was evicted from its headquarters. Around the same time, Levin re-opened the kit car business under a new name: "Auto Resolutions" (later changed to "StreetBeasts").
0 comments