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Tow company owners charged in vehicle thefts www.privateofficer.com
November 29, 2008
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Tow company owners charged in vehicle thefts http://www.privateofficer.com
BOYNTON BEACH Fla. Nov 29 2008
palmbeachpost.com — Police arrested three family members that ran a towing company this afternoon and accused them of dozens of counts of practicing predatory towing and illegally towing at least 90 cars in the past few months in the city.
Police arrested 48-year-old Debra Corti, who owns Access Express Transport and Towing at 1330 W. Industrial Ave.
They also arrested her son Leonard Corti, 30, and her daughter Jessica Corti, 26, after a three-month investigation, according to a police report.
palmbeachpost.com — Police arrested three family members that ran a towing company this afternoon and accused them of dozens of counts of practicing predatory towing and illegally towing at least 90 cars in the past few months in the city.
Police arrested 48-year-old Debra Corti, who owns Access Express Transport and Towing at 1330 W. Industrial Ave.
They also arrested her son Leonard Corti, 30, and her daughter Jessica Corti, 26, after a three-month investigation, according to a police report.
Each was charged with 65 felonies, including 30 counts of vehicle theft, and 20 misdemeanor counts of violating towing business regulations.
Police started probing the business in August after getting complaints that they were removing their required “no parking” signs from a parking lots in the 1100 block of North Federal Highway. The signs are required to be posted before a towing company can legally remove a car for illegal parking. After somebody would park in the lot the company would replace the sign and then tow away the car, according to the report.
The owner of the lot told police that he had no agreement with Access Express Towing that allowed them to tow cars.
Police spokeswoman Stephanie Slater said the company did not sell the illegally towed vehicles, but rather charged from $55 to $355 before giving them back to their owners.
On Oct. 12 officers placed an undercover “bait car” in the parking lot and witnessed the company try to tow the vehicle, according to the report. When undercover officers approached the truck and asked the driver to remove the vehicle, the driver refused and tried to charge a full towing rate even though the truck was still in the parking lot, which is illegal.
Police started probing the business in August after getting complaints that they were removing their required “no parking” signs from a parking lots in the 1100 block of North Federal Highway. The signs are required to be posted before a towing company can legally remove a car for illegal parking. After somebody would park in the lot the company would replace the sign and then tow away the car, according to the report.
The owner of the lot told police that he had no agreement with Access Express Towing that allowed them to tow cars.
Police spokeswoman Stephanie Slater said the company did not sell the illegally towed vehicles, but rather charged from $55 to $355 before giving them back to their owners.
On Oct. 12 officers placed an undercover “bait car” in the parking lot and witnessed the company try to tow the vehicle, according to the report. When undercover officers approached the truck and asked the driver to remove the vehicle, the driver refused and tried to charge a full towing rate even though the truck was still in the parking lot, which is illegal.
A company is supposed to charge half their regular fee in that situation, according to the report.
The towing company also failed to follow several other regulations such as calling police to notify them when they have towed a vehicle from a private property, according to the report. Officers served a search warrant at the business and arrested the three Cortis around 4 p.m. today.
All were booked into the Palm Beach County Jail tonight.
The practice of illegally towing cars from private parking lots is often called “predatory towing” and has been a problem tackled by law enforcement agencies all over the nation.
The towing company also failed to follow several other regulations such as calling police to notify them when they have towed a vehicle from a private property, according to the report. Officers served a search warrant at the business and arrested the three Cortis around 4 p.m. today.
All were booked into the Palm Beach County Jail tonight.
The practice of illegally towing cars from private parking lots is often called “predatory towing” and has been a problem tackled by law enforcement agencies all over the nation.
The state of New York passed a law earlier this month aimed at preventing predatory towing practices such as obscuring or hiding no parking signs or paying a kick back to a parking lot owner who allows a company to tow cars from a lot.
The city of Orlando also started considering new laws on towing companies this summer after receiving complaints from residents about predatory towers.
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