The Region : 5 Arrested in Smog Probe
Two San Gabriel Valley auto shop owners are among five people arrested in a weeklong raid on smog-check sites across Los Angeles County last week.
Margarito A. Villa, 39, owner of Villa’s Auto Repair, 2557 N. Durfee Ave., El Monte, and Michael Prometheus, 42, owner of Michael’s Unocal 76, 3880 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, were arrested Monday, according to the state Department of Consumer Affairs.
The five suspects allegedly sold smog certificates to businesses with car fleets and to used-car dealers who wanted to ensure that vehicles that might not meet state smog requirements would be certified as clean, said Jim Schoning, director of the state Bureau of Automotive Repair.
Schoning said the shops would issue certificates for vehicles that were never tested, using results from clean cars instead.
The four-month investigation also resulted in the arrest of Sergio Guevara, 31, at Bell Radiators, 4410 E. Gage Ave., Bell; Richard Falcon, 31, owner of S & R Auto Repair, 393 S. Atlantic Blvd., East Los Angeles, and Rene Espoza, a technician at S & R Auto.
All five face charges of computer crimes, perjury and registration forgery and could be sentenced to three years in jail for each count and up to $10,000 in fines, if convicted, officials said.
Police were looking for six other suspects at shops in Cudahy and East Los Angeles after receiving tips from consumers.
State law requires that all cars meet the state smog-reduction standards and be certified before they can be registered.
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