May 20, 2009 10:44 pm US/Eastern
I-Team: Illegal Car Inspections Exposed
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
An I-Team investigation found uninspected, unsafe cars rolling down Massachusetts roads are putting you and your family at risk.
In this economy investigators say they've seen a recent spike in people trying to beat the system that's supposed to keep cars safe.
I-Team reporter Kathy Curran tracked down some of the people responsible for putting these hazardous vehicles on the road.
Our camera got smacked by the woman working behind the counter at Anthony's Auto when the I-Team showed up after the owner's brother, Rafael Encarnacion, was accused of doing an illegal car inspection in Dorchester during an undercover sting.
The employee said she didn't have any information, and she locked the door to hold us captive and called police.
Boston police Deputy Superintendent Thomas Lee said, "We received some information that the business was selling stickers to vehicles that should not have received stickers, and they weren't doing an actual inspection."
"He charged 80 dollars, normally would be 29," an undercover officer said.
Investigators say the inspector put a sticker on an undercover van -- even though it's a car that shouldn't be on the road.
A THREAT TO PUBLIC SAFETY
Paul Harkins is the supervisor for safety and compliance for the Registry of Motor Vehicles.
"That's a threat to public safety," he said. "Anybody that will take money and not do the vehicle is clearly a threat to public safety."
Police say Encarnacion charged almost triple the price of an inspection and let a car with no horn and illegal tinted windows pass inspection. That station wasn't the only one with problems.
"The top one is counterfeit, a fraudulent sticker that someone purchased," an undercover officer said.
UNDERCOVER STINGS FIND VIOLATIONS
From stickers that aren't legit, like one pulled off a car during a routine traffic stop, to licensed inspection stations not doing the right thing -- local police and state investigators roll an undercover car in, put inspectors to the test and keep an eye on other stations from across the way.
"We sit here and watch for vehicles to go into the station, and we make sure inspectors are doing what they're supposed to do," Harkins said.
At one Weymouth inspection station State investigators watched every move and quickly found violations.
The man who hopped behind the wheel pulling the cars into the inspection bay at Weymouth Automotive drove without a license, and investigators say the owner doesn't check the safety of everything underneath the car. But the car gets a sticker anyway and the driver heads out onto the street.
"You'd like to have your wheels stay on the car while you're driving, so I guess that would be a key concern," Harkins said. "You want to make sure your tires are safe and you don't want to be involved in an accident for something you believe to be safe."
From October 2007 through September 2008, 123 inspection stations had 535 violations. The Registry of Motor Vehicles says at the time Columbus Auto Body in Dorchester was the top violator in the state. Its license was revoked for fraudulent practices, emissions violations and because of prior problems.
"People are paying 29 dollars to have their car inspected so that in the event if they're on the road with children or loved ones they're safe," Harkins said.
BOSTON SEES SPIKE IN COMPLAINTS
But as we found that safety could be at risk, Boston police have seen a recent spike in complaints about illegal inspections and stickers.
"It is going to be more common, we've seen an increase in complaints and, again, we think it could be tied to the economy," Dep. Supt. Lee said. "People are holding onto their cars longer."
At Wayland Gulf where they've been doing inspections legally for years, they do the job right.
"We check the lights, brakes, front end, exhaust, emissions, wiper blades, seatbelts and airbags," said owner Bob Cahoon.
Cahoon says putting a sticker on cars that shouldn't be on the road is a huge hazard.
"That's a great injustice. I have a wife and kids on the road, and if they're passing cars that aren't safe to be next to my wife and kids, that's bad," he said.
Boston police say that's exactly what Encarnacion did. The man accused in this case and his lawyer had nothing to say.
"I'll make my comments in court," Encarnacion's attorney said.
"For the unscrupulous dealer or shop owner it's a quick way to make money," Lee said.
Rafael Encarnacion faces criminal charges in this case. His lawyer has filed a motion to dismiss those charges. But the RMV has revoked his license to inspect cars and shut down all inspections at Anthony's Auto for 30 days.
Investigators say the inspection process is more important than ever since they're seeing moreolder cars on the road.
Last year the Attorney General's office fined a Dorchester inspection shop $144,000 for conducting 72 illegal emission inspections.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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