Harveys indicted for fraud involving car deals

Harveys indicted for fraud involving car deals

YOUNGSTOWN — A top official in the Mahoning County prosecutor’s office is urging victims of an alleged automobile dealing fraud scheme to protect their financial interests by filing civil suits in small claims court against those who have been criminally charged in the scheme.

“What we’re suggesting to all the victims is that they need to file individual lawsuits to protect their civil rights relative to restitution,” said Robert Bush, chief of the criminal division in the Mahoning County prosecutor’s office.

“On the criminal deal, there may be some restitution. There may be some fines, but I don’t know if there are enough funds available to cover their losses,” Bush said today.

“If you say, ‘I had to make double [car] payments for two years’ just to keep your credit good, that’s not going to be an issue that’s going to be dealt with in a criminal proceeding,” he explained.

Buddy Harvey, 41, of Florida, formerly of Berlin Center, was indicted on 43 counts of theft, 15 title offenses, three counts of tampering with records and one count each of defrauding creditors and passing bad checks.

His brother, Gregory A. Harvey, 36, of Beloit, was indicted on 27 theft counts, one count of tampering with records and 12 title offenses.

The investigation began in 2006 when several people filed reports with Boardman and Canfield police, regarding Harv’s Cars, a now-closed car dealership on Market Street that formerly operated on U.S. Route 224 in Canfield.

Buddy Harvey owned the dealership. The Harveys could not be reached for comment.

For the complete story, see Saturday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.