2 Sentenced to Jail in Smog Check Scam

In the stiffest sentence that has resulted from a crack down on Smog Check fraud, two brothers who operate a Van Nuys service station were ordered Monday to serve a year in jail and pay $10,000 fines each for issuing phony automobile smog certificates.

Keith and Brian Ammerman of Stewart’s Electronic Tuneup and Lube were the first to be convicted by a jury in a sweep by state and county officials that targeted about 30 Smog Check stations in Los Angeles County last December.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Joseph Charney said the Ammermans illegally issued smog certificates to cars that were never in their shop by plugging data into their computers from other vehicles. The brothers were each convicted of six counts of violating the state health and safety code and four counts of computer fraud after a two-week trial last month.

“The Ammermans methodically, fraudulently certified cars that were never even there,” Charney said. “They conducted smog checks on 2,700 cars per year and half of them were fraudulent. It had a tremendous effect on the environment.”

Charney said about 30 other service station owners or mechanics arrested last year have pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 60 days to nine months in jail.

Under the state’s Smog Check program, vehicle owners are required to have their car exhaust electronically tested every other year. The purpose is to repair cars that are heavy polluters. State officials say smog inspections eliminate about 11 pounds of pollutants per car per year.

Investigators say fraud at Smog Check stations, especially in Los Angeles County, is rampant. The arrests were made after six months of surveillance by state officials and the district attorney’s office.

In addition to the jail time and fines, the Ammermans were banned from conducting Smog Check tests.