D.A. Accuses Auto Repair Chain Owner of Deception : Consumers: A civil action seeks monetary penalties against Michael R. King and his transmission firm, which has three shops in the county.

Ventura County Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury on Thursday accused the owner of a chain of auto transmission shops in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties of widespread consumer fraud.

Bradbury announced that the prosecutor’s consumer and environmental protection division filed a civil action seeking monetary penalties against the owner, Michael R. King, and his Santa Maria-based chain, Trans-King Inc.

Also, Bradbury said he is seeking a court injunction to either halt the alleged fraudulent practices or shut down the operations of the 28-year-old company if such practices continue.

“He’s a crook, absolutely,” Bradbury said in response to a question at a news conference that was called to announce his office’s move against King.

Assistant Dist. Atty. C. Toy White, who also attended the news conference, said the action was significant because of the recession.

“People aren’t buying cars and they are relying on auto repair facilities more than they did in the past,” she said.

A July 16 court date is scheduled, Bradbury said.

King, 52, said Bradbury does not have his facts straight.

“The basic problem is that I had an employee problem some years ago and we got rid of them,” he said in a telephone interview from his Santa Maria residence.

King said the prosecutor assigned to the case, Deputy Dist. Atty. Linda Groberg, told him that he would have to pay a $230,000 fine to settle the case with the government and avoid court action.

Groberg said she would not comment on any pretrial negotiations.

Because of the recession, King said his six shops--in Ventura, Oxnard, Camarillo, Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo and the San Luis Obispo County community of Arroyo Grande--have not made any money for two years.

“We’re hanging on by our fingernails,” he said. “(The fine) would close us down.”

Ironically, King said he has been a leader in California on initiating consumer protection standards for the Automatic Transmission Rebuilders Assn., an industry group. “The original standards were written by me,” he said.

The investigation’s roots began about three years ago when the state Bureau of Automotive Repair began receiving complaints from consumers about King’s company, said Jim Schoning, the agency’s chief who attended the news conference in the district attorney’s conference room.

King’s operation has become well-known because of his television advertising, investigators said.

According to the commercial, which was shown at the news conference, King would promise to give customers something extra that other shops could not match.

“Unfortunately, this is true,” Bradbury said. “This something extra is unnecessary repairs and a big bill.”

In 1990 and 1991, investigators for the prosecutor’s office sought estimates on transmissions that had been purposely altered so that they had minor problems. In five out of six cases, the repairs were unnecessary and far too expensive for what was required, said Schoning and Patrick Larson, the state agency’s enforcement supervisor in Ventura.

According to investigators, the undercover operations generated repair bills ranging between $765 and $871 when none should have exceeded $200.