3 arrests in tow scam

Police say three conspired to illegally tow vehicles from a Newport parking lot then charge the owners hundreds to retrieve cars.A woman and two men were arrested Thursday on suspicion of conspiracy and extortion related to illegally towing vehicles from a Newport Beach business’ parking lot, officials said.

The owner of Adam’s Towing in Stanton, her husband and an employee are accused of towing cars without the property manager’s permission and charging the owners to retrieve their vehicles, officials said.

In California, the law requires that tow companies have the authorization of the property manager before towing from private property. The property owner cannot delegate the duty to a representative of the towing company, said Susan Schroeder, spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney’s office.

“They knew that they had to have the property owner’s permission before they could tow those cars off the lot,” said Newport Beach Sgt. Bill Hartford. “They knew what they were doing was illegal.”

The towing company owner, Marianne Thanhminh Lai, 36, her husband, Jaime Abel Chan Ramirez, 32, both of Garden Grove, and her employee Jose Rodrigo Torres-Diaz, 22, of Tustin, are charged with conspiracy, unlawful taking of vehicles and extortion, Schroeder said.

Lai and Ramirez were being held at the Newport Beach city jail on $40,000 bail and Torres-Diaz is held on $20,000 bail. The three are scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Orange County Superior Court.

Ramirez allegedly made an agreement with Huu Pham, the owner of property in the 4400 block of Birch Street, that Adams Towing would patrol and tow illegally parked cars, Schroeder said.

Ramirez allegedly paid someone to act as a security guard and authorize the towing from the property. From April to November 2005, Lai, Ramirez and Torres-Diaz are accused of towing more than 200 vehicles from the property without a specific request from Pham.

“These people conspired ... to defraud these drivers and charge them exorbitant fees, like several hundred dollars, to get their cars,” Hartford said.

The parking lot is near a night club and the three took advantage of that situation, Hartford said. Adams Towing charged between $100 and $400 per car for the owners to retrieve their vehicles, Hartford said.

Police investigators saw cars being towed from the lot without authorization. When Lai was contacted by police she allegedly provided fake invoices, authorizing the security guard to act as the property manager, Schroeder said.