Salinas business owner could face jail time for illegal towing

Posted on September 23rd, 2022

The owner of a Salinas tow company pleaded no contest to illegally towing vehicles in the area.

This week, a Monterey County judge accepted Marco Damian’s no contest pleas to five felony counts of unlawfully taking vehicles. By pleading no contest, Damian accepted a conviction for the charges. 

Damian, the owner of MD Towing, towed vehicles from lots that local businesses never asked to be towed, Monterey County prosecutors said. Towing companies are not allowed to authorize their own tows, except in cases where a car is parked in a fire lane or is blocking the entrance or exit to a private property, according to state law.

Damian is expected to pay roughly $4,575 in victim restitution. He is awaiting sentencing and could face up to five years and eight months in jail.

Residents have taken to social media to express that this is not the first time they’ve seen illegal towing take place in their neighborhoods.

Last year, prosecutors filed criminal and civil complaints against another Salinas-based towing company accused of conducting predatory towing schemes.

A complaint for vehicle theft and extortion was filed against Mark Gunderson, who owns and operates Hankins Towing, Inc. and Response Team Security. Prosecutors said that RTS "unlawfully initiated" more than 1,000 tows that Hankins Towing then fulfilled, and that RTS guards received bonus payment for initiating tows.

A criminal complaint for vehicle theft and extortion was filed against Damian the same year. 

"Laws governing private property tows exist to protect the public, particularly low-income consumers who are disproportionately affected by predatory towing practices," District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni stated at the time of the filings. "Where tow operators engage in a pattern or practice of unlawful conduct, the District Attorney’s Office will prosecute.”  

Source: The Californian