Two Auto Repair Shops Charged With Fraud

City Atty. James Hahn’s office has charged two Westside auto repair shop operators with criminal fraud.

Moses Mikailians, operator of Beverly Hills Auto Technology in West Los Angeles, was charged with three counts of grand theft and two counts of making false statements after he allegedly repaired a car with parts he said were new, but were only repaired.

Mikailians was charged after complaints by another customer and a sting operation by the state Bureau of Auto Repairs in which similar fraudulent repairs were made, said a Hahn spokesman.

Mikailians attributed the complaint to a difficult customer and the fact that “I was delayed on the job. I was in a hospital that day.”

Also charged with one count of grand theft and one count of making false statements was Edward Piralyan, owner of Select Auto Center in West Los Angeles. Piralyan allegedly charged an Inglewood man for new rack-and-pinion steering on his car, but failed to install one.

A man answering the phone at Select Auto Center identified himself as Edward Pirali, said he spelled his last name differently than Edward Piralyan, and said he was a victim of mistaken identity. Prosecutors denied those assertions.