Vince Serrano, the president of ASAP Towing & Storage, maintained his innocence, pleading not guilty to charges of grand theft and organized fraud, facing allegations of bilking nearly $200,000 from Floridians. According to News4Jax, Serrano was accused of manipulating financial records, skewing the sales prices of unclaimed vehicles, and inflating the associated costs of towing, storage, and sales of these cars.
The case against Serrano hinges on the assertion that he deliberately underreported revenue and "double dipped" on fees, securing unlawful profits, as described by News4Jax.
When the vehicles of absent owners are sold by a towing company, the law only permits the retention of funds equating to the cost incurred for their tow, storage, and sale. Subsequently discovered through an audit, Jacksonville's Sheriff's Office changed to comply with state legislation, sparking an investigation into discrepancies in the company's reporting, as per information from First Coast News.
Further examination revealed that from October 2023 to December 2023, at least 12 vehicles sold by ASAP Towing presented inconsistencies with reported amounts. In the grand narrative of the investigation, records from 2020 through 2024 have been assessed by detectives who alleged a continuous pattern of deception, according to First Coast News. Due back in court on March 19 for a pre-trial hearing, Serrano's arrest report reflects his release on his own recognizance.
As the legal proceedings against Serrano continue, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has dug through 255 sales reports, identifying falsifications in all but three, which suggests an extensive effort to deceive. "Detectives with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said Serrano defrauded the state out of nearly $200,000 by faking records of the towed cars he sold," reported Action News Jax.
