8 people indicted in alleged vehicle emissions scam in Cobb
Eight metro Atlanta residents have been indicted for allegedly conspiring to sell fraudulent motor vehicle emission certificates and test results to motorists whose vehicles couldn’t pass the inspection.
A Cobb County Grand Jury on Thursday indicted Arthur Alexander, Derek Holman, Nathaniel Johnson, Tina Johnson, Daniel Lawson, Shelton Ray, Latasha Rose and Shontana Tellis.They each were charged with one count of racketeering.
According to the indictment, the suspects carried out the activity at emission stations in Cobb and Fulton counties between Jan. 27, 2009, and March 7, 2012. The defendants allegedly would enter vehicle identifying information for one vehicle into the emission analyzer while actually connecting the analyzer to and testing another vehicle that could pass the inspection. They typically charged more for a fraudulent inspection than the amount they could legally charge for a legitimate inspection, authorities said.
The stations were operated by Nathaniel Johnson, but were licensed in the names of other individuals, according to Lauren Kane, a spokeswoman in the state Attorney General’s office.
About the Author
Fran Jeffries is a Newsletter Producer. She joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2005 as an Education Editor. She worked as a Breaking News Editor and Social Media Producer before joining the Newsletter team.
