I'M SOFIA SOFIA OJEDA.
FEDERAL AND LOCAL INVESTIGATORS
RAIDED A LOCAL TOWING COMPANY,
ARRESTING ITS OWNER, ALL OF THIS
HAPPENING DAYS AFTER CHANNEL 2
INVESTIGATION.
WE CAPTURED OWNER RICHARD
GONZALEZ' ARREST AMID PRICE
GOUGING ACCUSATIONS.
SOME HOUSTON DRIVERS FORCED TO
PAY THOUSANDS MORE THAN THEY
SHOULD HAVE.
HOUSTON POLICE JUST WRAPPED UP A
NEWS CONFERENCE A SHORT WHILE
AGO.
AMY DAVIS SPEAR-HEADED THIS
INVESTIGATION AND WAS AT TODAY'S
NEWS CONFERENCE.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED TODAY?
Reporter: THEY JUST TALKED
ABOUT HOW THEIR INVESTIGATION
STARTED.
IT WAS AN UNDERCOVER OPERATION,
BUT THEY SAY IT BEGAN LAST FALL
WHEN AN HBD SERGEANT STARTED
LOOKING INTO A LOT OF CONSUMER
PLAINS ABOUT USA AUTO COLLISION
CENTER AND DECIDED AND SPOKE
WITH HER SUPERIORS THAT REALLY
THE ONLY WAY TO LOOK INTO THESE
ALLEGATIONS WAS TO GO UNDERCOVER
AND CONDUCT SORT OF A STING.
THAT RESULTED IN YESTERDAY'S
RAID.
THEN THEY TALKED ABOUT WHAT THEY
NETTED IN THAT RAID.
THEY WERE THERE FOR HOURS, UP TO
SEVEN TO EIGHT HOURS AND
ARRESTED FOUR PEOPLE.
THEY SAY A FIFTH ARREST IS
PENDING, POSSIBLY MORE.
AS WE TOLD YOU, 41-YEAR-OLD
RICARDO GONZALEZ, THE OWNER,
MANAGER OF THE BUSINESS.
ALSO ARRESTED, 34-YEAR-OLD
WOMAN, A NOTARY PUBLIC WHO
WORKED THERE.
ANOTHER MAN WHO WORKED IN THE
OFFICE AND A MANAGER AT THE BODY
SHOP THERE THAT OVERCHARGED SO
MANY CONSUMERS, ACCORDING TO HPD
NOW FOR REPAIRS THAT THEY EITHER
DIDN'T MAKE OR WERE INFLATED
CHARGES.
ALL OF THESE PEOPLE ARE CHARGED
WITH ENGAGING IN ORGANIZED
CRIMINAL ACTIVITY.
THEY TALKED ABOUT JUST HOW
SOPHISTICATED THIS OPERATION
WAS.
WE'VE TOLD YOU ABOUT THE
ALLEGATIONS, HOW THEY SAY THAT
THIS SLIPPING SCAM, ACCORDING TO
PEOPLE FAMILIAR WITH THE TOWING
INDUSTRY WORKS.
BUT SOME OTHER THINGS THEY WERE
ABLE TO CONFIRM BY GOING INSIDE
THIS BUSINESS, THEY FOUND A
DEVICE INSIDE THE BUSINESS THAT
WOULD ALLOW EMPLOYEES WHO WORKED
THERE TO BLOCK THE CELL PHONE
CALLS OF CUSTOMERS.
THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE WHEN WE
WERE GOING THROUGH ALL THOSE
CONSUMER COMPLAINTS, MULTIPLE
CONSUMERS SAID THEY FELT LIKE
WHEN THEY WERE IN THE LOBBY OF
THAT OFFICE AND THEY WERE MAKING
PHONE CALLS EITHER FOR HELP OR
TO THEIR INSURANCE COMPANY, THEY
WOULD JUST LOSE THEIR CELL
SIGNAL OUT OF THE BLUE.
NOW HPD BELIEVES THEY KNOW WHY.
THEY RETRIEVED THIS ILLEGAL CELL
PHONE BLOCKING DEVICE THAT WOULD
ALLOW AT THE PUSH OF A BUTTON,
TO BLOCK ALL CELL SIGNALS
ANYWHERE WITHIN A CERTAIN
PROXIMITY.
SO WE ASKED ABOUT HOW WIDE OR
HOW LARGE SPREAD THEY BELIEVE
THIS INVESTIGATION THEY BELIEVE
THIS ALLEGED FRAUD IS.
AND THE CONSUMER FRAUD
PROSECUTOR ACTUALLY SPOKE A
LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT.
LET ME SAY THIS, IT IS
UNUSUAL FOR ME TO ASK FOR
ASSISTANCE AT MY OFFICE IN
ANTICIPATION OF A FLOOD OF
CONSUMER COMPLAINTS.
AND I HAVE ASKED SOMEONE FOR
ASSISTANCE IN ANTICIPATION OF
THE NUMBER OF CITIZENS WHO MAY
BE CALLING IN.
Reporter: SO WE WANT TO GIVE
YOU THAT PHONE NUMBER BECAUSE WE
HAVE ALSO RECEIVED QUITE A FEW
E-MAILS AND PHONE CALLS FROM
MANY OF YOU WHO SAY YOU SAW OUR
STORY AND THEY TOWED YOUR
VEHICLE.
YOU WERE STUCK WITH WHAT YOU
THOUGHT WERE UNFAIR CHARGES.
MONTHS, MAYBE YEARS AGO.
THE PHONE NUMBER YOU NEED TO
CALL FOR THE HARRIS COUNTY
DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHIEF
PROSECUTOR IS 713-274-5555.
THAT'S ON THE BOTTOM OF YOUR
SCREEN.
JUST TELL THEM YOU'RE CALLING
ABOUT USA AUTO COLLISION CENTER
OR STAN'S WRECKER.
THEY'LL DIRECT YOU TO THE RIGHT
PERSON TO TAKE ALL OF YOUR
COMPLAINTS BECAUSE THIS CASE IS
CONTINUING.
FINAL THOUGHT, ONE VERY
IMPORTANT THING, A LOT OF PEOPLE
ARE WONDERING, ARE THEY OUT OF
BUSINESS OR WHEN WILL THEY BE
OUT OF BUSINESS?
THEY'RE WORKING WITH THE STATE
AREAS ATTORNEY OFFICE TO PULL
THEIR ALSO.
THEY SAY THAT THEY BELIEVE THEY
HAVE THE AUTHORITY AND CAN PULL
THEIR LICENSE, SOMETHING NOT
JUST THE STATE CAN DO, TO PUT
THEM OUT OF BUSINESS ENTIRELY.
NOT JUST PREVENT THEM FROM BEING
A SAFE CLEAR OPERATOR.
THEY'RE WORKING ON BOTH OF THOSE
FRONTS TO PULL THE CITY CONTRACT
AND ALSO TO GET THEM OUT OF
BUSINESS.
RIGHT NOW THEY'RE OPENING.
THEY THINK THAT WOULDN'T PULL
THOSE LICENSES UNTIL SOMETIME
EARLY NEXT WEEK BECAUSE THEY SAY
IT'S LITIGATION AND THEY THINK
IT WILL TAKE A FEW DAYS.
LIVE DOWNTOWN, CONSUMER EXPERT