A Lehighton auto dealership is one of 13 Pennsylvania businesses charged in a car “title washing” ring, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced Wednesday.

Aquino Auto Mall in Lehighton, along with ALZ Auto Sales in Mount Pocono, are two of the businesses facing charges, as well as 19 individuals.

According to the Attorney General’s Office, those charged coordinated to buy totaled vehicles, falsify inspection information, and submit fraudulent title applications to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

The fraud was designed to bypass rigid requirements for reconstructed titles in states such as New Jersey and Massachusetts, or to make stolen vehicles look legitimate for resale or export, the Attorney General’s Office said.

The participants in the criminal rings included George Frietto of George’s Garage in Scranton, Luis Salazar of Salazar Auto Sales in York and N & G Towing in Dover, their employees, several used-car dealers from within and outside Pennsylvania, and an authorized tag and title agency, the Attorney General’s Office said.

“These defendants used their positions and knowledge of PennDOT requirements to defraud state and federal authorities, hide stolen vehicles, and put unsuspecting drivers at risk,” Shapiro said. “Vehicles that have been totaled must not only be repaired but also undergo an enhanced safety inspection to make sure they are safe. These defendants instead allowed hundreds of heavily-damaged vehicles onto roadways in Pennsylvania, and around the country without even looking at them.”

The 19 individual defendants were charged, in varying degrees, with: Corrupt organizations, forgery, washing vehicle titles, deceptive business practices, tampering with public records, false application for certificate of title, altered, forged, or counterfeit documents, insurance fraud, and commercial bribery, among other charges.

Charges against the 13 businesses include, in varying degrees, washing vehicle titles, deceptive business practices, tampering with public records, altered, forged, or counterfeit documents, and false application for certificate of title.

The Attorney General’s Office said its investigation found that Frietto claimed to have completed more than 240 “inspections” during a ten-day period in December 2020.

During this time, however, investigators had conducted surveillance outside of George’s Garage and saw that Frietto’s own vehicle was the only one to enter the shop.

As part of each reconstructed title application, Frietto was required to submit photographs of the vehicle he had inspected. Instead, Frietto completed the paperwork using stock photographs of the vehicles which were frequently not the same make and/or model of the vehicle named on the paperwork, the Attorney General’s Office said.

On some occasions, Frietto used the same stock photographs for multiple vehicles.

One of Frietto’s employees admitted to never completing a single enhanced vehicle safety inspection and that Frietto had told his employees that they did not need to see a car to complete the inspection paperwork, the Attorney General’s Office said.

Despite this, she and her fellow “inspectors” were filling out so many title applications that their hands would cramp up, which led them to start preparing the stacks of forms in advance. Freitto told investigators that he charged $60 for each “enhanced inspection” performed at his garage.

The 19 charged are: Frietto, Salazar, John Mulea, Kara Cosgrove, Angel Rios, Peter Tayoun, Sandra Klassner, Alivia Auriemma, Armando De La Paz, Jorge Santos-Hernandez, Pawel Bryla, Eva Contrares, Alvaro Rodriguez, Luis Leyva, Anibelkis Garcia and Sherif Helmy.

The other businesses charged are: PA Tag & Title in Scranton, Luci’s Auto Sales, LLC in Old Forge, Newroad Motors in Lebanon, Best Value Auto Outlet/Oli’s Auto Sales in Scranton, PBJ Motors in Taylor, EOS Auto Sales in Taylor, Alliance Auto/Alliance Auto Sport, Inc. in Exeter, and Beltin Auto Sales, LLC in York