Springfield towing company operator pleads guilty to mail fraud scheme

A Springfield towing company operator has pleaded guilty to a mail fraud scheme in which false documents were submitted to the Missouri Department of Revenue in order to obtain mechanics liens and titles for vehicles that had previously been reported stolen.

Dennis Arthur Cleveland, 75, pleaded guilty Dec. 12 to one count each of mail fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering, according to a news release from the office of R. Matthew Price, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

While serving as the owner of Affordable Towing, Cleveland admitted that he directed his employees to send fraudulent documents to the Missouri Department of Revenue in order to obtain substitute or replacement mechanics liens and vehicle titles to allow him to sell the vehicles, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

The documents submitted claims purporting to have received permission from the vehicle owners, according to a news release, but it was later discovered that this was not the case. Additionally, forged signatures were included in the documentation.

According to the release, Cleveland would then sell the vehicles at a used car dealership or, if he was unable to obtain a replacement title or mechanics lien, they would be scrapped at a local scrapyard.

"Each of the vehicles involved in this scheme were confirmed to have been reported stolen, and neither Cleveland or Affordable Towing had permission to possess, sell or scrap any of these vehicles," officials with the U.S. attorney's office said in the release.

A sentencing hearing is slated to be scheduled following the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office. Under federal statutes, Cleveland is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole for mail fraud, up to 10 years in federal prison without parole for money laundering and up to two years in prison for aggravated identity theft, according to the release. The latter sentence would be served consecutively with the mail fraud and money laundering charges.

The guilty plea follows Cleveland's sentencing to two years in federal prison in 2023 for Clean Air Act violations, according to past reporting. He pleaded guilty earlier that year to one count of conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act and one count of tampering with a Clean Air Act monitoring device as the owner of Affordable Towing.

Springfield Business Journal is seeking comment from Cleveland's legal representation.