A Springfield, Missouri man has pleaded guilty in federal court to charges related to a scheme involving mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering. Dennis Arthur Cleveland, 75, entered his plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush.
Cleveland owned Affordable Towing and directed employees to submit fraudulent documents to the Missouri Department of Revenue. These documents were used to obtain substitute or replacement mechanics liens and vehicle titles for vehicles that had previously been reported stolen. According to court records, the documents falsely claimed that permission had been received from the vehicle owners for these actions.
Upon review, authorities determined that none of the listed vehicle owners gave Cleveland or Affordable Towing permission to seize or sell their vehicles. The signatures on these documents were confirmed as forgeries. Vehicles for which Cleveland obtained replacement liens or titles were sold at used car dealerships; those without new titles were sent to scrapyards. In both cases, Cleveland kept all proceeds from the sales or scrapping of these vehicles.
All vehicles involved in this scheme had been reported stolen, and neither Cleveland nor his business had authorization to possess them.
“Cleveland is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole for the offense of mail fraud,” according to information provided by prosecutors. “Further, Cleveland is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole for the offense of money laundering. Finally, Cleveland is subject to a sentence of 2 years, run consecutively to the mail fraud and money laundering, for the offense of aggravated identity theft.” The actual sentencing will be determined by the court following a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney and investigated by several agencies including the Missouri Department of Revenue’s Compliance and Investigation Bureau, United States Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation division, and Environmental Protection Agency.
