SIMI VALLEY : Charges Filed Against Auto Service Firms

Two Simi Valley men have been charged in a sting operation of 10 San Fernando Valley auto service shops accused of swindling customers.

Dean Nyland, 36, and Henry Martini, 35, co-owners of Regency Transmission in North Hills, face charges filed Wednesday by the Los Angeles city attorney following an investigation by the State Bureau of Automotive Repair.

Consumer complaints alerted state investigators to two of the businesses under investigation; the other eight were targeted because they ran “too-good-to-be-true” advertisements in the Recycler newspaper, Los Angeles City Atty. James K. Hahn said.

“Consumers should be very wary of offers for goods or services that seem too good to be true,” Hahn said. “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is, and they probably are about to get ripped off.”

Among the goods allegedly advertised were rebuilt transmissions starting at $160 each.

The investigation involved “sting” operations in which undercover Bureau of Automotive Repair agents took control vehicles into the shops for repairs.

Nyland and Martini both face charges including making false and misleading statements, and providing an illegal invoice.

The maximum sentence on the various charges is one year in jail.