Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Tow truck companies rip off customers

Below is a press release where Madigan is going after tow companies for staging and using police scanners to chase car crashes. Illinois law states if you sign something and you’re not in your right frame of mind you are not held accountable. But tow companies such as the one listed below and Chicago Auto Body & Towing. This tow company uses a police scanner to track and find crashes and then while in a disoriented state of mind they tow your car and jack up fees outside of what you pay for if you called your own tow truck. These companies also put pressure on you to the point you cannot make a sound decision and put your car on their truck before you even sign their paper authorizing them to tow. Under 625 ILCS 5 this act is illegal for companies to do. The city of Chicago uses E&R towing for any crash in the city because they are authorized that is why the have a Chicago Department of Transportation plaque on their truck’s. Under the city ordinance laws you have to be a registered and licensed by Chicago to tow. Also under Chicago Ordinance staging is illegal ( Staging is classified by the city as listening to police calls for crashes, or hooking and going down a street to drop a vehicle and returning to a location while another truck grabs the first vehicle.)  Lisa Madigan in a press release stated that her office has filed a lawsuit against three Cook County towing companies alleging various violations of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act and the Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

Madigan filed the suit against: (1) Road America Automotive, Inc., doing business as Premier Auto Collision, Inc., (2) Premier Auto Collision, Inc., doing business as Target Towing & Recovery, Inc., and (3) Target Towing and Recovery, Inc., doing business as Road America Automotive, Inc. All three companies operate out of the same business address at 3055 W. 131st Street in Blue Island.Since 2005, Madigan’s Consumer Fraud Bureau has received 18 complaints against multiple towing companies.The lawsuit alleges a pattern of conduct through which the defendant towing companies defraud consumers. According to the lawsuit, tow truck drivers employed by the three companies often arrive at the scene of traffic accidents without being summoned by either the participants in the accident or by the police. When they arrive at the scene, the tow truck drivers approach the drivers of the damaged cars and offer to tow the cars. The tow truck drivers often mislead accident participants by falsely claiming to be affiliated with motor club services. Moreover, the tow truck drivers fail to fully disclose the high towing, storage and other miscellaneous fees that the defendant companies charge for the towing service.

Madigan’s suit describes what happened to a consumer who was injured in an automobile accident in July 2006. While waiting for the police and the ambulance to arrive, the consumer was approached by a Premier Auto tow truck driver who offered to tow her vehicle. The consumer authorized Premier Auto to tow her car to a residential address. The authorization form presented to the consumer did not list any of the charges for the tow. Despite the consumer’s specific request, Premier Auto towed her vehicle to its lot.
After she left the hospital, the consumer contacted Premier Auto concerning the release of her vehicle, and Premier Auto instructed her to contact her insurance company. The consumer’s insurance company informed her that it would pay for reasonable towing charges, but not for Premier Auto’s storage or miscellaneous fees. Premier Auto offered to waive the storage fees if the consumer agreed to allow them to repair her vehicle. When the consumer refused to allow Premier Auto to conduct the repair, Premier Auto demanded $750 for the release of her vehicle

Since Madigan started the U.S. Government has now made this a federal crime. Federal authorities have arrested accused predatory tow truck perators in Chicago, Illinois as a new consumer protection law is set to take effect next month. Motorists involved in an accident often the tow truck that arrives at the accident scene to remove damaged vehicles later insists on outrageous fees, in cash, before they are returned. Police officers even take bribes to ensure only favored companies were allowed near the accident scene. Earlier this month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents arrested a tow truck operator and a Chicago police officer for conspiracy to commit insurance fraud. The owner of Collision Towing owner, James P. Athans, 39, which also produced evidence implicating Chicago Police Officer Joseph A. Grillo was arrested and charged.

Early this year between January and May Chicago Auto Body & Towing arrived at 2 crashes in the Grandcrossing area. When the tow driver was instructed AAA would be towing the car they ignored the family member of a driver and kept insisting that the driver let them tow as they put the vehicle on the truck.

The other incident was were they kept insiting they tow a patrol car and they said no we have our own tow coming. The company kept pushing and pushing. What this company fails to realize is that under 720/ ILCS/ 20 you are not accountable for any legal contract when you are not in sound mind. The city of Chicago is teaming up with the U.S. District Attorney and the Illinois Attorney General's office to stop these companies that are doing this. The City of Chicago has stated in a press release any tow truck with a police scanner is staging and the driver will be arrested and charged with consumer fraud and the tow truck will be impounded and seized, any tow truck company not called by either driver is stagingand the driver will be charged with deseptive practice and consumer fraud and the truck will be siezed by the city.Tows are to be called in by the police or the driver and if the police call in a tow the truck better have a Chicago DOT plate or the driver will be arrested and the truck siezed. The city has recieved over 1,000 complaints a day about these tow compinies and Chicago will no longer allow them to rip customer's off.





The State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Illinois Vehicle Code is amended by changing
Sections 1-100, 4-203, and 18a-105 and by adding Chapter 18d as
follows:
(625 ILCS 5/1-100) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 1-100)
Sec. 1-100. Short Title. This Act may be cited as the
Illinois Vehicle Code.
Portions of this Act may likewise be cited by a short title
as follows:
Chapters 2, 3, 4 and 5: the Illinois Vehicle Title &
Registration Law.
Chapter 6: the Illinois Driver Licensing Law.
Chapter 7: the Illinois Safety and Family Financial
Responsibility Law.
Chapter 11: the Illinois Rules of the Road.
Chapter 12: the Illinois Vehicle Equipment Law.
Chapter 13: the Illinois Vehicle Inspection Law.
Chapter 14: the Illinois Vehicle Equipment Safety Compact.
Chapter 15: the Illinois Size and Weight Law.
Chapter 17: the Illinois Highway Safety Law.
Chapter 18a: the Illinois Commercial Relocation of





 
 
 

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Rantoul,Illinois home of the air forcebase starts seeing a crime spree

RANTOUL -- Police need help finding the man who held up several fast food workers. It happened at the Arby's on West Champaign Avenue June 10th.
Police say a man who covered his face with a handkerchief walked up to a group of workers. They had just closed up for the night and were in the parking lot. He had a gun and took the bank deposit from the workers. He ran off.
Police describe the suspect as a black man who was wearing a black do-rag and dark clothing. He was about 5-feet 8-inches tall with a medium build.
If you know anything about this armed robbery, call Champaign County Crimestoppers at 373-TIPS. Or text: CCTip plus your information and send it to CRIMES. Or log on. You could get a cash reward and tips are always anonymous.


Rantoul Mayor stated that since CHA closed they dispersed some of the residence from Chicago move in to their town.

The mayor stated that Falcon way Apartments is called little Englwood because most of the residence that live there are gang bangers from Chicago and they destroyed the newly developed buildings in a matter of weeks. “ I have asked the police to contact Chicago police to get some insight on the gang intelligence by submitting the photos of the tattoos photographed off of the subjects. We have never had a gun or drug or gang problem. “ Since 2005 it has increased only to get worse they stay in the apartments like apes stick to caves. Most of our black community say that is how you tell the ghetto trash from hard working black people we own our homes and work hard with in the county and town.

BROCTON,Illinois no police department

BROCTON -- It was business as usual at the village pump in brocton.But food wasn't the only thing on the minds of customers.

"Although we don't have much serious crime. The police department was instrumental when we had it in force into dealing with two meth labs that were discovered in town." Bill Weber of Brocton said.

The small village has been without a police department since march of 2011.But not by choice.

"I choose to step down rather than be fired by them," Former Brocton Police Chief Ray Sollars said.

Sollars is talking about some of the town's elected officials.

"The village board is trying to get rid of the police department. We've got four members on the board that are trying desperately to get rid of our police department," Village President Dennis Cary said.

The people of brockton didn't like this, and decided to step up and have their voices heard. But the board didn't listen.

"It went to the March 2012 election and won and now the village board has decided with the attorneys oppinion that they don't have to pay any attention to it and they can continue to get rid of the police department," Cary said.

The board has held multiple meetings to discuss the issue with some getting pretty heated. Still, many in the town still think this just isn't fair.

"I always felt if you voted on something you either have a winner and a loser, and if you win then that's it," Dorothy Murphy of Brocton said.

FOP Lodge 7 Chicago: News

It is reported that a security officer stopped and arrested a black male who was in possesion of a firearm at the time of arrest. Was back out in less than 24 hours. Now according to lodge 7 a Chicago police officer shot and killed a man who pointed a gun at him after the officer and his partner chased the man for a few blocks in the Greater Grand Crossing area this morning, police and a union spokesman said.

The shooting took place a little after 5 a.m. in the 500 block of West Winneconna Parkway, when a man pointed a gun at a Gresham District officer who then shot him, according to a news release from police.

The Independent Police Review Authority was investigating a police-involved shooting at that location, but did not have details, a spokesman said.

The man was identified as Marquise Sampson, 19, of the 7200 block of South Stewart Avenue, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

The officer and his partner were on patrol, in uniform and in a marked squad car, when they saw a man running west on 79th Street near Vincennes Avenue, with a gun in his waistband, according to the release from Chicago Police Department News Affairs.

The officers initially may have seen the man running while carrying a black object that turned out to be a knit cap that concealed a handgun, said said Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 spokesman Patrick Camden.

Officers told the man to stop, but he kept running, police said. One officer got out of the squad car and pursued the man on foot, while the other followed in the car, according to police and Camden.

On Winneconna, the officer following in the car pulled into a driveway near where the man was running, and the man pulled a gun out, Camden said.

The man pointed the gun at the officer and the officer shot him, police and Camden said. A gun was found at the scene.

Sampson had no criminal convictions in Cook County and his only arrests as an adult have been on three misdemeanor charges, all of which were dropped, according to court records, which give his first name as both Marquise and Marquiese.

FOP Lodge 7 Chicago news



 




Retirement Party Honoring Detectives Steven Schorsch & Thomas Johnson

July 13, 2012
Retirement Party Honoring Detective Steven Schorsch Districts 013 & 019, Narcotics, Area Six/Three Homicide, Cold Case Detective Thomas Johnson Districts 013 & 019, Area Six/Three Homicide, Cold Case Friday, July 13, 2012 6:30 P.M. until 11:30 P.M. Biagio Banquets 4242 N. Central Avenue Casual Attire Dining, Dancing & Refreshments Ticket Committee Lt. Tom Keane 606 312-446-1006 Det. Moe Sakalis 606

10th District Golf Outing!

July 19, 2012
2nd Annual 10th District Golf Outing! Carriage Greens Country Club 8700 Carriage Greens Drive Darien, Illinois 630-985-3400 July 19, 2012 1000- Shot gun start Lunch at the turn 1600hrs Dinner

Mexican- American Police Organization Golf Outing

July 25, 2012
25 July 2012 1000hrs – Shotgun start “Soft spikes” Old Oak Country Clus 14200 S. Parker Road Homer Glen, Illinois 708-301-3352 Call for information – 773-704-1000.

FBI NEWS

Kanawha County Man Sentenced to Six Years in Federal Prison for Possessing Child Pornography

U.S. Attorney’s Office July 02, 2012
  • Southern District of West Virginia (304) 345-2200
CHARLESTON, WV—U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that a Kanawha County man was sentenced to federal prison for possessing child pornography. Richard Paul Diaz, 55, of St. Albans, West Virginia, was sentenced to six years in prison to be followed by 15 years of supervised release. Diaz previously pleaded guilty in April. Diaz admitted that on February 10, 2010, he knowingly possessed on his computer more than 600 images and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct; that is, actual or simulated sexual intercourse and the lascivious exhibition of the genitals and pubic area of the minors. Diaz also admitted that he knew the images and videos constituted child pornography. In addition, Diaz further admitted that he used a peer-to-peer file sharing program to share the child pornography.Click here to read more


Mansfield Doctor Indicted on Prescription Drug Charge

U.S. Attorney’s Office July 02, 2012
  • Northern District of Ohio (216) 622-3600
Dr. David Walter Massie, a medical doctor who lives in Mansfield, Ohio, was arrested today after being indicted on one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute Oxycontin and/or Oxycodone, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
Massie, age 59, is scheduled to be arraigned July 6.Click here to read more

Robbery of Inland Bank and Trust Branch in Elmhurst

FBI Chicago July 09, 2012
  • Special Agent Ross Rice (312) 829-1199
The Inland Bank and Trust branch located at 539 South Spring Road, Elmhurst, was robbed at approximately 10:22 a.m. today. The robber, who is believed to be the person who robbed the same bank on June 11, 2012, as well as a Chase Bank branch in Bensenville on April 2, 2012, approached a teller and presented a note demanding cash. The note implied that the robber had a gun, but no weapon was displayed during the robbery. After receiving an undisclosed amount of cash, the robber left the bank on foot. No injuries were reported in connection with the robbery.
Witnesses described the robber as a Hispanic or white male, 5’9” to 6’0” tall, with a medium build. He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt that was black on the front and had a gray pattern on the back; khaki shorts; sneakers; and sunglasses.
Photos and additional information, if available, will be added to the posting related to the April 2 robbery at www.bandittrackerchicago.com.
Anyone with information regarding this bank robbery is asked to call the Chicago Office of the FBI at 312-421-6700 or the Elmhurst Police Department.


Week in Review—Hammond

U.S. Attorney’s Office July 06, 2012
  • Northern District of Indiana (219) 937-5500

HAMMOND, IN—The United States Attorney’s Office announced the following:
Pleas:
  • Hector Tovalin, Jr., 36, of Hammond, Indiana, pled guilty before Senior Judge James T. Moody to the felony offense of possession of child pornography. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by members of the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jill Koster.
  • Linda Lyrla, 57, of DeMotte, Indiana, pled guilty before Senior Judge James T. Moody to the felony offenses of mail fraud and tax evasion. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Gary Bell.
  • Terrance Young, 49, of Valparaiso, Indiana, pled guilty before Judge Rudy Lozano to the felony offense of receipt of child pornography. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by members of the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, including ICE-Homeland Security Investigations. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jil Koster.
  • Armando Ortega, 33, of Hammond, Indiana, pled guilty before Judge Rudy Lozano to the felony offense of possession with the intent to distribute cocaine. Sentencing has been set for October 2, 2012. These charges were filed as the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives HIDTA Task Force. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Nozick.
If convicted in court, any specific sentence to be imposed will be determined by the judge after a consideration of federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Dispositions:
  • Gary James, 54, of Marisa, Illinois, was sentenced by Judge Rudy Lozano to five months’ imprisonment and one year of supervised release, to include five months of home supervision, and $42,127.08 in restitution after pleading guilty to the felony offense of wire fraud. James participated in a scheme to defraud Bechtel SAIC Company LLC and to obtain money and property by false pretenses. This case was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jacqueline Jacobs and Susan Collins.
  • Troy Lively, 43, of Westville, Indiana, was sentenced by Judge Rudy Lozano to 110 months’ imprisonment, restitution of $5014, and two years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of the bank robbery of DeMotte State Bank. This case was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Padilla.
  • Desanka Henrichs, 60, of Lake Station, Indiana, was sentenced by Senior Judge James T. Moody to 15 months’ imprisonment and one year of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of mailing threatening communications in a scheme to extort money from individuals by threat to injure their reputations by telling the general public that they had, or were having, extramarital affairs. This case was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Nozick.