COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein has filed a complaint on behalf of the city to obtain a preliminary injunction against a scrapyard accused of multiple counts of fraud.
According to a news release, investigators believe Columbus Auto Shredding, located at 2181 Alum Creek Drive, has been accepting fraudulent, doctored vehicle titles for stolen cars and parts.
In the filing, Klein’s office asked the court to declare the scrapyard a public nuisance, impose strict requirements on operators to verify vehicle titles and cease certain operations until additional safeguards are implemented.
“The City of Columbus has zero tolerance for criminal enterprises that moonlight as businesses. Not here. Not ever. Businesses that perpetrate fraud and deal in stolen property will be held accountable, they will be prosecuted, and if necessary, they will be shut down,” Klein said. “We will explore every legal option to hold rogue businesses accountable, protect residents and uphold the rule of law in our city. Filing action against this facility is the first step toward that end.”
According to court documents, Groveport police investigated the business in July for paying multiple towing companies for vehicles that did not match Ohio titles to the vehicle being junked, as well as accepting vehicle without proof of ownership to be scrapped.
In August, an investigator with the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles began reviewing titles submitted by the scrapyard for junked vehicles. The investigation uncovered massive amounts of fraud and dozens of falsified or improper titles, according to Klein’s office.
Among the title flagged, 17 had previously been reported as stolen or lost by previous owners. Another 16 listed company names as the owner of the vehicles, but agents of that company did not sign the title.
Additionally, Klein’s office said the business accepted 15 vehicles whose titles were missing required notary, 15 more that were missing required label for “junk” designation, 11 that did not match the legal owner/seller signatures, which were determined to be forged and falsified and three were signed by the incorrected person.
The BMV also found two bill of sales which included VIN that did not exist and another two listing a completely different company name on the document that the legal ownership on file with the state.
The investigation also discovered that the scrapyard accepted as proof of ownership a vehicle title that included a VIN cut from a previous title and taped to the new document.
Investigators also discovered the business was counsel multiple times for failure to verify BMV records, but continued their pattern of criminal conduct, according to Klein’s office.
A preliminary hearing for the scrapyard is set for Nov. 14.