Costa Mesa auto dealer indicted by grand jury

Deepa Bharath

An Orange County grand jury on Thursday indicted the owner of a Costa

Mesa auto dealership and four employees, charging them with

embezzlement, filing false tax returns and conspiracy, officials

said.

Nader Amirvand, 47, owner of Auto Market of Orange County on

Harbor Boulevard, was charged with 19 counts of embezzlement, filing

false tax returns and conspiracy, Deputy District Atty. Peter Pierce

said.

The investigation stemmed from another investigation of a major

drug ring, he said. Amirvand was arrested in August 2002 by federal

drug enforcement officials on suspicion of helping to launder drug

money for a five-lab methamphetamine ring based in San Bernardino and

Riverside counties.

Authorities said Amirvand sold his extravagant inventory, which

included Lamborghinis and Ferraris, to known drug lords and then

falsified their identities on state-required paperwork or would

neglect to submit the proper reports. Amirvand had denied those

charges.

These fresh charges come in the wake of numerous complaints from

customers who had bought cars from the dealership and from financial

institutions that issued loans for the purchases, Pierce said.

Amirvand and his four employees would trade in high-end used

vehicles from customers, Pierce said. Most of these vehicles had an

outstanding loan covering them, he said.

Amirvand left his customers and the banks in limbo by receiving

these vehicles as trade-ins and then reselling them without paying

off the outstanding loans, Pierce said.

“The banks obviously lost money,” he said. “And the customers

can’t drive their cars because they can’t register it without that

old loan being paid off. Also, the banks that issued the original

loans on these cars repossessed them.”

Amirvand also received money from customers specifically to pay

DMV registration fees, which he pocketed, Pierce said. He also

underreported sales tax collected by his dealership and took that

money as well, he said.

Amirvand was not available for comment on Thursday. If convicted,

he could get 22 years and four months in state prison.

Also indicted were employees Jamie Grahl, 35, of Newport Beach;

Miguel Inocencio, 40, of Tustin; Daniel Inocencio, 35, of Tustin; and

Chris Fascenelli, 47, of Costa Mesa.

Heavyweight Mike Tyson stored a fleet of cars at Auto Market and

last year picked up a Lamborghini from his private collection.

Amirvand also faces charges in San Bernardino County. He is

accused of conspiracy to produce and distribute a controlled

substance. He is out on $250,000 bail.

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at [email protected].