DeWine sues Canfield car dealer

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has sued Reinthaler’s Auto Village Inc., which operated at 560 W. Main St., Canfield, and its owner, Joseph Reinthaler, saying he and his business failed to deliver motor vehicle titles to consumers.

The lawsuit seeks reimbursement for consumers and for the Title Defect Rescission Fund, which helps consumers resolve title problems that occur after they buy a vehicle from a dealership.

Dozens of consumers filed complaints, with most saying they failed to receive a title after buying a vehicle from the dealership.

DeWine’s office assisted consumers, in some cases making payments from the rescission fund. To date, about $180,000 has been paid from the fund to help resolve Reinthaler’s Auto Village complaints.

“We have an obligation to protect consumers and to enforce the law,” DeWine said Tuesday. “In this case, we helped resolve consumers’ complaints, and now we’re seeking restitution.”

In the lawsuit, filed in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, the attorney general accuses Reinthaler’s Auto Village and Reinthaler of violating Ohio’s Certificate of Motor Vehicle Title Act and seeks an end to any further violations of the law, reimbursement, and civil penalties.

In a separate criminal case, prosecutors are recommending a 15-year prison sentence for Reinthaler, 50, who pleaded guilty Aug. 3 in common pleas court to a 71-count criminal indictment.

Reinthaler entered his pleas before Judge Maureen A. Sweeney to 69 felony counts of tampering with records, plus single felony counts of forgery and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.

Reinthaler remains free on bond until his sentencing, set for 10 a.m. Nov. 3.

He was indicted last November by a grand jury for his actions between September 2012 and February 2015 at his dealership.

Nick Brevetta, an assistant county prosecutor, said people who had cars they still owed money on would trade their cars in to Reinthaler, who would then promise to pay off the loan and make a document for them that he paid off their loan.

He would sell the car, however, without paying off the loan, Brevetta said.

Brevetta said he is asking for a long sentence because of the financial disruption it did to people’s lives.

More than 60 people that prosecutors know of had their finances disrupted because of Reinthaler’s actions at a cost of $200,000 collectively, Brevetta said.