“Legal Files” recently reported on the fraud claims brought against well-known Porsche restoration shop CPR Classic of Fallbrook, CA (December 2024, “No Resuscitation for CPR Classic,” p. 54). Numerous customers complained that they were defrauded when the shop took their money without delivering the purchased car, sold cars on consignment without paying the seller, and sold cars that were not even consigned. CPR Classic was owned and operated for many years by Brian Doherty, until his death in 2021. It was then taken over by his daughter, Andrea Doherty. In response to the many fraud accusations, and the suspension of its […]
“Legal Files” recently reported on the fraud claims brought against well-known Porsche restoration shop CPR Classic of Fallbrook, CA (December 2024, “No Resuscitation for CPR Classic,” p. 54).
Numerous customers complained that they were defrauded when the shop took their money without delivering the purchased car, sold cars on consignment without paying the seller, and sold cars that were not even consigned. CPR Classic was owned and operated for many years by Brian Doherty, until his death in 2021. It was then taken over by his daughter, Andrea Doherty. In response to the many fraud accusations, and the suspension of its vehicle dealer license, CPR Classic abruptly shut down operations, leaving its customers in the lurch.
The plea
On December 4, 2025, Andrea Doherty pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud. As part of her guilty plea, she admitted all of the following:
- During 2022 and 2023, Doherty sold a 1973 Porsche 911E Targa to two different buyers, accepting payment from each of them without informing or paying the seller. The seller eventually transferred the vehicle’s title after receiving a check from Doherty, which then bounced.
- In February 2023, Doherty agreed to sell a 1972 Porsche 911S for its owner. She found a buyer the following day who wired her $280,000 within a week. Although this buyer received the vehicle, Doherty did not transfer legal title because she had not used the funds to pay the seller. Instead, in October 2023, she sold the vehicle again to another buyer, who wired her $275,000, part of which she used to pay the seller. The seller then transferred the title to the October 2023 buyer, unaware of the February 2023 sale.
- Also in 2023, Doherty sold a 1983 Porsche 911 Turbo on consignment for $130,000, without telling the owner about the sale or paying him anything. To complete the sale, Doherty forged the seller’s signature. More than a year later, the buyer contacted the vehicle’s owner, who then learned for the first time that his car had been sold and delivered to the buyer, even though the car was still listed as available for sale on the CPR Classic website.
- Doherty pocketed more than $827,000 from these customers and transactions.
In addition to the guilty plea, Doherty agreed to pay over $8m in restitution to 57 people. She was released on bail pending sentencing, which has yet to be announced.
Claims resolved?
At first blush, the guilty plea would seem to resolve the numerous lawsuits filed against CPR Classic and Doherty. However, her guilty plea applies only to the three cases identified. She can still defend the remaining claims, although her guilty plea to fraud would leave her with little credibility in the remaining cases. That would make them difficult to defend.
The lawsuits claim damages of $11.8m in total, whereas Doherty agreed to pay restitution of $8m. Expect the difference to be negotiated and liability conceded in most — if not all — of these cases.
Although that looks good for the plaintiffs, there is no reason to believe that Doherty has the money to pay. After all, the guilty plea demonstrates a cash shortage and a rob-Peter-to-pay-Paul pattern of conduct, so there likely isn’t a lot of money available for settlements.
For the plaintiffs, the advantage of the restitution order is that it generally can’t be discharged in a bankruptcy proceeding. The civil judgments that the defrauded customers will obtain are a bit different. If they represent fraud, they are usually not capable of discharge (extinguishment) in bankruptcy. But if they are just breaches of contract, they can be discharged. Plus, the victim will have to appear in bankruptcy court, formally object to the discharge, and prove that fraud was involved. That isn’t cheap, and there is no assurance that, even without a discharge, Doherty will ever be able to pay.
More prosecutions
While there historically haven’t been a lot of fraud criminal prosecutions involving collector cars, that may be changing.
In a federal prosecution in Rochester, NY, following an FBI investigation, Clark P. Rittersbach was convicted of wire fraud and sentenced to serve 24 months in prison. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn M. Hartford, who handled the case, stated that Rittersbach was the owner of Concours Classic Motor Cars, a company specializing in the restoration and sale of antique vehicles in Macedon, NY.
Between 2018 and 2022, Rittersbach lied to customers about work and acquisitions he claimed to have completed to get paid for work he had not done and stall his clients so he had enough time to complete the work. In one example, he falsely claimed that he had completed work on a Duesenberg engine and billed the customer $25,000. In another example, he overstated how much work had been completed on a 1964 Porsche in order to be paid for work he had not yet done. Overall, Rittersbach defrauded customers of some $2.5m.
In another case, Richard Thomas Finley, the former owner of Classic American Street Rods in the Galveston, TX, area, was sentenced to 60 years in prison after being convicted of felony theft exceeding $300,000. Prosecutors say Finley orchestrated a multi-year scheme that defrauded at least 72 customers between 2018 and 2023. Court findings determined that more than $498,000 was taken from victims.
Finley would take substantial upfront deposits to build resto-mods, with a pattern of long delays, limited communication, and repeated explanations about why progress had stalled. In addition, parts were removed from customer cars and sold. The criminal charges were the result of a five-year investigation.
Suede Lee Barganski was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison for stealing from customers of his Santa Rosa, CA, classic-car repair and restoration business RadRods of Norcal Inc. Barganski pled guilty to six felony charges. He victimized at least 22 different individuals over 10 years for more than $350,000 in total losses. He failed to do work he had been paid for, forged vehicle titles and sold the cars, and stole parts off customer cars.
Barganski got a lot of business because he was one of the few mechanics in the area who worked on classic cars. When the charges were filed, he failed to appear in court and fled to Idaho, where he allegedly committed similar offenses. He then fled to Texas, where he was arrested and sent back to California for prosecution.
Common threads
These cases have some similarities that are worth noting. First, justice is slow. Each of these situations required lengthy investigations before charges were filed. And they all involved multiple victims — it’s hard to get the authorities to prosecute a crook when you are the only one defrauded. Rather, a pattern of conduct needs to be demonstrated to get prosecutors interested.
The amounts involved aren’t always the key factor in a prosecution. The CPR Classic case involved many lawsuits that added up to $11.8m, but the Finley case was only $498,000. Also, the sentences aren’t consistent. Compare the 24 months for Rittersbach’s $2.5m with 60 years for Finley’s $498,000. Location obviously matters.
Paying ahead
The biggest similarity among these cases is that all of the crooks got paid well ahead of the work they had completed. They typically asked for substantial upfront payments to get started, which makes sense because they have to buy parts and pay their employees before they can actually bill you. But they don’t buy all the parts all at once, and they should only be out about a month’s worth of wages before billing you. So the lesson is to be careful about how much you pay up front.
The other red flag is billing for work that’s not yet completed, often using the money to pay other people and not for your project. Be careful to confirm that work you are being billed for has actually been done. Of course, that means frequent visits to the shop to lay eyes on your car, which can be quite inconvenient, especially if the shop is far away. If you can’t make the trip, have someone local that you can trust do it for you, photos included. Never rely solely on photographs provided by the shop.
Unfortunately, that is what it takes to protect your interests. There really is no other way.
John Draneas is an attorney in Oregon and has been SCM’s “Legal Files” columnist since 2003. John can be contacted at john@draneaslaw.com. His comments are general in nature and are not intended to substitute for consultation with an attorney.