$130k service cost on 328 true?

It’s a federal indictment. Everything in his shop is seized as evidence. Until law enforcement unpacks everything and every invoice nothing in that shop is going anywhere.

 

wow BB reports first grand theft conviction was 2003, domestic violence in 2006, perjury and extortion in 2012 and more.

 

I didn’t realize it’s federal. This guy needs to be put away for good.

 

People want to believe fairy dust stories. They really do. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.
If flying to Italy to carefully select the right parts does not set off a BS meter, I'm sorry, you are too stupid to be helped.

 

According to one account he is living in the hangar. Do you really think he can afford to make anyone whole?

 

The fairy dust stories are unfortunately all too common. I've heard my fair share of nonsense over the years where charlatans prey on the lack of knowledge of others. I've seen some pretty bight people be fooled and it extends all the way up to Ferrari themselves when they changed service intervals for timing belts from 5 years to 3 for no defendable technical reason, but I digress. These guys like to make it seem like they have a special gateway to the church of Ferrari when at the end of the day it is just a machine made up of nuts and bolts with specs and procedures like any other car.

 

Everything I have seen was either State of Arizona or State of California. Do you have a source for a Federal involvement?

 

Vintage Ferrari Owners’ Favorite Mechanic Charged With Theft, Fraud (insurancejournal.com)

posted on another forum

 

Reprint from Bloomberg or vis versa.

 

I don’t know. If the $400,000 bond is cash he might have some resources. I know people who live very comfortably in commercial spaces out of preference, not necessity. But donnieboy needs government accommodations.

 

I doubt it.

Donnie sells a picture of himself as a Ferrari obsessed mechanic savant. He is definitely not a mechanic savant in my opinion. I do genuinely believe he is obsessed with Ferrari’s. The problem is what he was/is willing to do to feed that obsession.

He does live upstairs in his main hangar, or he did at the time I was there. He never hid that. Last I was there he actually had 3 hangars. Two were connected and then there was another kind of caddy-corner to his main hangar. His main hangar is piled up with junk and loose parts. All were filled with cars. Several of those cars he claimed he was “keeping” because the owners refused to pay his bills or they had been dropped off for service and “abandoned” or some other story. Again, red flag-a-palooza but if he’s already got your car you’re stuck, and you had to play chess to get it back, so to speak..

My impression after being at that hangar and talking with him at length a few times was that he was living this kind of make believe life where he really kinda believed his own bs, all funded by whoever he could convince next to send him their car…where he’d get a chunk of cash upfront from a new client, then spend most of it on having fun and possibly his own cars (any car he designated as “his” always seemed to be running and in good condition, or at least in one piece). But then once he got the car you were stuck. He’d keep it forever and keep hitting you up for more cash. That was my read of what was happening at the time anyway.

I doubt that other than his tools, some memorabilia, the few cars he actually owns, and a ton of parts (many of which may actually belong to clients) he hasn’t got two nickels to put together. People might get their cars back (many of them in pieces) but good luck getting any cash back from the guy.

 

I do not think he is obsessed with Ferraris. There is a common trait shared with many in this business, also the yacht and airplane business. The clients money. The perception of a rich clientele which to some degree is true but its what attracts many to this business. I see it all the time.

 

Well if he pays it.

 

Well as I said before, he was unlicensed. In the state of California he has no legal right to collect a bill and it is a rigorously enforced law. A simple call to the BAR could fix that in a second. I have seen it done.

 

So in theory all of us who sent Donnie money to work on our cars could ask BAR to recover all of our money?

 

What is the BAR?

 

Bureau of automotive repair

 

ok so now I'm finding it hard to believe how matt farah and others didnt have a clue?

 

They would refer you to a civil court. If an unlicensed shop has your car in their possession that is a very different situation.

 

guess it was better for him to steer the attention towards EAG

 

People want to believe.

 

Same is true for plumber, contractor etc. If a license is required to perform a professional service and they have no license they have no legal right to collect a bill. California has strong consumer rights laws.

My own 328 was being held by a body shop and would not release it. The BAR went and asked to see a signed repair order. They could not produce one and the shop was forced to return the car.

 

In the province of Ontario Canada if an unlicensed mechanic works on your car they have no legal right to collect the bill. Moreover if you do have a licensed mechanic and they did not get a signed work order you have the right to collect your car AFTER the work was completed and not pay a dime. Most mechanics will hide behind mechanics liens but you can show up with a police officer or a bailiff and they have to hand you the keys to your car. If you do have a signed work order they may only go over by 10% without getting written or verbal approval. Anything extra cannot be collected upon. I can only assume California is similar given the strength of their consumer rights laws.

I don't mind this as a LOATHE trades that change the price at the end when it is time to pay.