An Arizona man, operating under the guise of an auto mechanic, has confessed to swindling over $1.4 million from unsuspecting vehicle owners across Missouri and beyond. Andres “Manny” Lopez, 36, pled guilty to wire fraud charges in U.S. District Court in St. Louis, admitting to a scheme that lasted from November 2019 through July 2023, where he deceitfully took payments for auto parts and services he never intended to provide. According to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, Lopez's company, All Performance Tuning and Diesel Repair LLC, became the facade behind which he financed his personal life at the cost of his customers.
Lopez's methods ranged from taking upfront payments for non-existent vehicle upgrades to outright damaging vehicles and lending them without consent. In a rather brazen act, one Missouri victim wired $45,000 to Lopez for the purchase of a Toyota RAV4—a vehicle intended as a gift for his mother. Lopez not only lied about buying the car but went as far as impersonating a Florida Toyota dealership's general manager in communications with the client's family, spinning tales of delivery delays and product recalls. The deceit unfolded even after he was indicted for similar frauds in October 2023.
Despite the indictment, the swindle persisted, as admitted by Lopez in his plea. He managed to dupe another victim out of roughly $567,892 post-indictment. The pattern of elaborate lies served as the crumbling foundation of a con that, for a time, seemed to hold no end. The FBI's involvement in the case brought the charade to light, culminating in his guilty plea and the impending quest for justice for those entwined in his web of fraud.
The sentencing, scheduled for May 9, hangs heavy in the balance for Lopez and his victims alike. Prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman, the case presents as a cautionary tale against the backdrop of seemingly trustworthy business transactions turned sour.
