U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk has sentenced Andres "Manny" Lopez, a self-proclaimed auto mechanic from Arizona, to 33 months in prison. Lopez is also required to repay $1.37 million to his victims following a fraud scheme involving his company, All Performance Tuning and Diesel Repair LLC.
Lopez's fraudulent activities began in November 2019 when he accepted payments for vehicles, upgrades, and parts without intending to fulfill these orders. Additionally, he damaged some customer vehicles and loaned them out without the owners' consent.
One notable case involved a Missouri resident who transferred $45,000 to Lopez for a Toyota RAV4 intended as a gift for his mother. Lopez falsely claimed he had purchased the vehicle and provided numerous excuses for its non-delivery, including product recalls. He even impersonated the general manager of a Florida Toyota dealership in communications with the victim's mother.
Despite being indicted in October 2023, Lopez continued his fraudulent activities by deceiving another victim out of approximately $567,892. The funds obtained through these schemes were used for personal expenses.
A letter submitted to the court by one of the victims highlighted Lopez's consistent pattern: “Promise… then a reason why I cannot meet that promise… then a new promise… then repeat the string (for years).”
In February, Lopez pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of wire fraud.
Chris Crocker, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI St. Louis Division stated: “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.” Crocker emphasized that "Today, Lopez earned every day of his prison sentence for victimizing people with his fraudulent business practices."
The investigation was conducted by the FBI with Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman prosecuting the case.
