Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced criminal charges against 30 people and 21 businesses for “title washing” and for re-titling stolen vehicles in Lebanon, Lehigh and Philadelphia counties.

The 21 businesses charged include J & J Car and Truck Sales LLC and MP Notary and Tags Inc. of Allentown.

The title washing fraud was designed to bypass rigid requirements for reconstructed titles in states such as New Jersey and New York.

Participants in these criminal networks are alleged to have purchased totaled vehicles that they then falsified inspection information for and submitted fraudulent title applications to PennDOT as well as removing and changing the Vehicle Identification Numbers attached to each vehicle to bypass police detection of stolen vehicles.

The arrests are following sweeping arrests earlier this year as tied to related criminal rings in northeastern Pennsylvania.

“Vehicles that have been totaled must not only be repaired but also undergo an enhanced safety inspection to ensure they are safe. The defendants instead allowed hundreds of heavily-damaged vehicles onto the roadways in Pennsylvania, and around the country without even looking at them,” Shapiro said. “They gamed the system and put consumers at risk to rack up millions of dollars in illegal profits.”

The 30 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, and insurance fraud, among other charges. Charges against the 21 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.

Consumers who believe that they may have been a victim of the practices of any of the above dealerships, vehicle inspectors, or tag agents, or have information about this or other forms of vehicle or title fraud should reach out to the Office of Attorney General by emailing the Insurance Fraud Section at titlefraud@attorneygeneral.gov.