Evergreen Reporter

A man from Arizona, Andres "Manny" Lopez, has admitted to defrauding at least nine individuals in Missouri and other locations of over $1.4 million. The plea was entered in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis, where Lopez, aged 36, confessed to one count of wire fraud.

The fraudulent activities occurred between November 2019 and July 2023 while Lopez operated All Performance Tuning and Diesel Repair LLC in Arizona. He accepted payments for vehicle upgrades and parts without intending to complete the work, using the funds for personal expenses instead. Some customer vehicles were damaged under his care, and he loaned out others without consent from their owners.

Lopez also engaged in deceptive practices involving vehicle purchases on behalf of clients. After receiving advance payments, he falsely assured customers that he had acquired their desired vehicles but used the money for personal expenditures. He offered numerous false explanations for delivery failures.

One case involved a Missouri resident who transferred $45,000 to Lopez for a Toyota RAV4 intended as a gift for his mother. Lopez falsely claimed the purchase was made and cited various excuses for nondelivery, including product recalls. He even impersonated a Florida Toyota dealership's general manager in communications with the client's mother.

In his guilty plea, Lopez acknowledged defrauding an individual of approximately $567,892 after being indicted in October 2023 for previous frauds.

Sentencing is set for May 9. The FBI conducted the investigation with Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman handling prosecution duties.