PHOENIX — An Arizona man who posed as an auto mechanic was sentenced to nearly 3 years in prison on Tuesday, according to authorities.
Andres Lopez, 37, who also goes by Manny, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of wire fraud, according to a Tuesday Eastern District of Missouri announcement.
Details on Arizona man who posed as auto mechanic
In November 2019, Lopez swindled money from customers through his fraudulent Arizona business called All Performance Tuning and Diesel Repair LLC, according to prosecutors.
A customer out of Missouri purchased a Toyota RAV4 and wired Lopez $45,000 for the car. Lopez lied about owning the car and gave the customer a series of excuses.
He even went as far as to impersonate a general manager of a Florida Toyota dealership through text messages.
Additionally, Lopez took money for auto repairs and parts, while never providing any of the services promised.
He damaged customer cars and lent out the vehicles without permission from the owners, prosecutors said.
In October 2023, after Lopez was indicted, he went on to scam another victim out of nearly $568,000.
Lopez was also ordered to pay back $1.37 million to the victims.
“For years, Andres Lopez lied to customers to line his own pockets. The lies and manipulation continued even after he had been charged for the crime and released on bond,” said special agent in charge Chris Crocker. “Today, Lopez earned every day of his prison sentence for victimizing people with his fraudulent business practices.”
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