Car Dealership Owner Faces More Than 100 Charges for Illegal Business Practices

Buying a used car is an inexact science. There are so many stories out there about cars that disintegrated almost as soon as the buyer drove them out of the dealership parking lot that you cannot be sure that this will not happen to you until you have been driving your car without incident for several weeks. Even if your car is still working months after you bought it, every time you make a payment on the loan, you wonder if the sale price to which you agreed was too much. You can convincingly argue that, in today’s economy, beggars can’t be choosers about car loans; a record number of buyers in 2025 signed loan agreements with seven-year repayment terms when buying used cars. Maybe the dealer wasn’t being transparent with you, but you need a car, because you cannot afford to live in the most walkable parts of Pennsylvania, so buying a car with whatever car loan you can afford to get is your only feasible choice. If you bought a car in Harrisburg in the past few years, though, you are probably not the only person who felt icky about the process. The owner of the dealership is now facing dozens of criminal charges arising from misdeeds great and small related to the sale of used cars. If you recently bought a used car, and you think that the dealership defrauded you, contact a Philadelphia used car fraud lawyer.

What Went Wrong at a Car Dealership in Harrisburg?

In February 2026, the owner of a car dealership in Harrisburg was arrested after a long investigation and many complaints to police from customers about illegal business practices that they witnessed while buying or inquiring about cars at the dealership. The complaint against him includes 144 counts, including but not limited to the following offenses:

• Forgery
• Deceptive or fraudulent business practices
• Substantial misrepresentation of material facts when selling a vehicle
• Unprofessional conduct
• Intentional failure to display a business license
• Improper handling, processing, and reassignment of vehicle titles

Some of the allegations against him are felonies and some are misdemeanors, while others are summary infractions for which the penalties are monetary fines. When news reports about the case were published, the defendant had not entered a plea.

What to Do If Used Car Fraud Happens to You

If a car dealership was dishonest with you about the car you bought, it is never too soon to contact a consumer law attorney. Even if the dealer does not get criminal charges for fraud, you have the right to compensation for the financial losses you incurred for buying a car based on bad faith actions by a car dealership.

Contact CONSUMERLAWPA.com About Used Car Fraud

A Philadelphia consumer law attorney can help you exercise your rights if a used car dealership misrepresented facts about the car you were buying.  Contact CONSUMERLAWPA.com to set up a free, confidential consultation.

Source:

cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/pennsylvania-car-dealership-fraud-investigation/