HOLLYWOOD : Car Repair Shop Fined $15,000 in Customer Swindle

A company that runs a Hollywood car repair center was ordered to pay $15,000 in fines Friday after it was caught swindling customers in an undercover sting operation.

Los Angeles Municipal Judge Veronica Simmons McBeth imposed the fines on Maori Inc., which operates Ori’s Service Center and Link Tire Co. at 1255 N. Highland Ave.

Lawyers for Maori Inc. entered a no contest plea on five counts of making false and misleading statements, and for one count of theft, said Deputy City Atty. Mark Lambert.

The case grew out of an undercover investigation by the state Bureau of Automotive Repair. The bureau had received complaints about business practices at the repair center, Lambert said.

Agents took cars to Ori’s Service Center for a variety of repairs. On each occasion, undercover agents were charged for unnecessary repairs or for repairs that were not made, Lambert said.