Tow truck driver charged with $300k in fraudulent overcharges

The owner of a Pittsburgh based towing company has been charged with numerous felonies and misdemeanors including 27 counts each of insurance fraud for illegally charging consumers 10's of thousands of dollars for tows.

56-year-old Vincent Fannick is accused of inflating tow costs by charging accident services fees and other deceptive practices.

Fannick was arraigned and bail was set at $25 thousand dollars.

A preliminary hearing is set for May 3.

The office of the Attorney General and Allegheny County Police are the co-affiants on more than 100 charges filed this week.

“This defendant allegedly preyed on consumers already in stressful situations, first by hiding costs when asking for invoice signatures, then by inflating prices for short tow jobs,” Attorney General Michelle Henry said. “Predatory, deceptive business practices will not be tolerated in the Commonwealth, and business owners who harm consumers to line their pockets will be held accountable.”

“These actions targeted unsuspecting members of our community during their most vulnerable moments,” Superintendent Christopher Kearns of the Allegheny County Police Department said. “We’re grateful for our partnership with the Office of the Attorney General throughout the course of this lengthy investigation.”