In court on Tuesday, an Arizona mechanic confessed to defrauding a minimum of nine victims, totaling over $1 million. Shockingly, he even continued his deceitful practices after being charged.
Andres “Manny” Lopez, a 36-year-old man, admitted his guilt in U.S. District Court in St. Louis for committing wire fraud. According to prosecutors, Lopez operated All Performance Tuning and Diesel Repair LLC in Arizona. He deceitfully accepted payments for car-related services under the guise of his company, but had no intention of fulfilling his promises. Shockingly, even after the FBI stepped in, he continued to leave his customers stranded, using their payments for his personal expenses.
Between November 2019 and July 2023, the mechanic executed his deceitful plan, accepting upfront payments for vehicle modifications and performance parts that he never actually provided.
Lopez also caused damage to multiple customer cars and even loaned them out without their permission or knowledge. Several customers entrusted Lopez with money to find and purchase vehicles on their behalf, but he deceived them by pocketing the funds and giving false information about the purchases. When confronted about the delays, he provided a series of elaborate excuses, as reported by KTTN News.
Lopez received $45,000 from a victim in Missouri who intended to purchase a Toyota RAV4 for his mother. However, Lopez deceived the victim by falsely claiming that he had purchased the car but failed to deliver it. In an attempt to cover up his actions, he fabricated intricate stories and blamed product recalls for the delays. In a shocking turn of events, Lopez even went to the extent of impersonating the general manager of a Toyota dealership in Florida through text messages sent to the victim’s mother.
In spite of being indicted in October 2023, Lopez did not halt his activities. The mechanic confessed to defrauding another victim, managing to swindle nearly $568,000 even after being charged. Lopez’s sentencing is scheduled for May 9.