Illinois Tollway sends fine for violations to car dealership in fraud case

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated to include information from Driven Auto of Oak Forest, which is disputing claims and has submitted documents to suggest/allege that CarMax was responsible for the toll violations. Driven Auto initially declined a request for details about a transaction involving license plates that were on cars that committed numerous toll violations. But Driven Auto responded to a complaint with the Illinois Consumer Protection Agency, which emailed their response.  

The Illinois tollway has sent a car dealership a bill for toll violations that accumulated after it obtained license plates from a Crusader journalist who purchased a car at Driven Auto of Oak Forest.

On June 1, the Crusader journalist bought a Ford Bronco at Driven Auto in Oak Forest after trading in a Chrysler Sebring that included the old license plates.

For the next three months, various cars were captured on camera with the front and back license plates and racked up $688.20 in Illinois tollway fines for the violations.

The Illinois tollway waived those fines after I submitted documents that show that I sold the vehicle before the fines occurred. The Illinois tollway then sent the bill to Driven Auto of Oak Forest, but it’s uncertain whether the dealership contested the bill or whether CarMax is paying the fines.

In an earlier version of this story, the Crusader, citing a source from the Illinois Tollway, reported that Driven Auto of Oak Forest had at least four vehicles that ran up toll violations with a license plate that was once owned by this journalist. But Driven Auto in newly submitted documents to the Illinois Consumer Protection Division seemed to suggest CarMax was responsible for the toll violations after it sold the Chrysler to CarMax.

Last October, during a visit to Driven Auto, a manager said the dealership left the front and back license plates on the Chrysler when it was sold to CarMax. In response to an investigation by the Illinois Consumer Protection Division, Jim Ihmoud of Driven Auto of Oak Forest, submitted a Bill of Sale document to the agency that shows the Chrysler was sold to CarMax June 5, one week before the first toll violation occurred on June 12.

But the document does not say anything about the license plates or whether they were included in the sale to CarMax. The document was signed by Ihmoud and CarMax representative Mark Gogerty. That omission raises questions as to which business had the license plates that were on multiple vehicles that committed unpaid toll violations. 

In another Crusader story, CarMax declined to provide any information regarding the transaction, saying “the privacy of its customers is extremely important.” 

But questions remain about CarMax’s role in the fraud case or whether they used license plates to transport cars across the Chicago area while racking up toll violations. CarMax has not yet responded to an email seeking response to Driven Auto’s documented claim that CarMax had the license plates when the toll violations began appearing June 12.

When asked to verify the transaction, CarMax in an email said “The privacy of our customers is extremely important. We are unable to disclose any information outside of the individual or company who completed the transaction with CarMax.” 

In its response to the Consumer Protection Division, Ihmoud disputed my claim that a salesman promised to mail my old license plates. Ihmoud said that the promise was never made. (During my visit there last October, a manager said the dealership normally destroys old license plates but did not destroy mine because it did not go through an inspection.) 

But questions remain as to why Driven Auto failed on two occasions to destroy the license plate when they bought the Chrysler and when they sold it to CarMax. 

When asked whether CarMax’s policy requires it to return license plates on cars they purchase from dealership, CarMax, in a December 15 email, replied, “Dealerships should remove plates and return to their customer or the DMV during the initial transaction prior to taking subsequent action with the vehicle. However, it is state dependent.” 

Dan Rotek, spokesperson for the Illinois Tollway, said in an email that when Driven Auto purchased my vehicle, “the dealer became the owner of record and then had the responsibility to destroy or remove the car’s license plates before selling the vehicle. 

“Under our policy, the dealership then became responsible for the unpaid tolls accrued by the driver of the car carrying those license plates.”