ST. LOUIS, MO
Arizona Man Appears in St. Louis Court to Answer Fraud Charges
An Arizona car repair business owner has been accused of defrauding at least four customers out of more than $500,000.
Andres ‘Manny’ Lopez, 35, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Oct. 11, 2023, on two counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Lopez was arrested December 11 in Arizona and appeared in court in St. Louis Wednesday. The indictment alleges that Lopez defrauded at least four customers, including a Missouri man, out of more than $500,000 by falsely claiming that he would obtain cars for them at a discount and perform vehicle repairs and upgrades.
After obtaining upfront payments, Lopez spent the money on personal expenses, the indictment says. The Missouri victim wired Lopez $45,000 for a Toyota RAV4 for his mother. Lopez then repeatedly falsely claimed that he’d bought the vehicle and that it would to be delivered, the indictment says.
The indictment also alleges that Lopez impersonated the general manager of a Florida Toyota dealership in text messages to the client’s mother, falsely claiming that delivery delays were due to recall issues.
The wire fraud charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. The aggravated identity theft charge is punishable by two years in prison, consecutive to any other sentence, a $250,000 fine, or both prison and a fine.
Lopez is currently out on bond and his next court appearance is scheduled for a later date.
Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Category: White Collar Crime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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