Business owner arraigned on multiple felony charges for alleged towing scheme

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced last Friday that the owner of Rescue Unit Towing was arraigned on multiple felony charges after allegedly selling cars for which he fraudulently obtained titles.

David Avery was charged in the 36th District Court in Detroit on the following charges:

• One count of conducting a criminal enterprise, a 20-year felony.

• Thirteen counts of uttering and publishing false bills of sale for abandoned vehicles, a 14-year felony.

Avery was arraigned on these charges in late February and granted a $20,000 personal recognizance bond.

Through his company, Rescue Unit Towing, Avery towed vehicles as a private contractor for a number of apartment complexes in Detroit.

It is alleged that after towing a vehicle, Avery would then apply with the Department of State for a title to the vehicle. Avery would sign the title for Rescue Unit Towing as the custodian of the vehicle and sign the title as a Detroit Police Department representative – although Avery was not in fact a Detroit Police Department representative.

“My office is committed to holding fraudsters who manipulate the system for their own gain accountable,” Nessel said.

A preliminary examination on these charges is set for July 29 before Judge Kenyetta Stanford Jones.