Towing company owners Fenner and Birkley in Indianapolis were indicted on federal fraud charges for conspiring to exploit Indiana's mechanic's lien law to strip bank liens from vehicles stored on their lots and sell the cars for personal profit between 2013 and 2016, according to the DOJ Southern District of Indiana. The scheme left vehicle owners with debt but no collateral to return to the bank.
Operator takeaway
Exploiting lien law to steal vehicles produced federal fraud charges — the mechanic's lien process exists to protect operators, and abusing it destroys the legal framework that every legitimate operator depends on.