When you hand over a deposit for a major restoration job, you're placing a lot of trust in one person. In San Leon, Texas, that trust cost 72 people nearly half a million dollars.
What Happened
Richard Thomas Finley operated Classic American Street Rods out of San Leon, Texas. His business model, on paper, was restoring and modifying classic vehicles — engine swaps, custom builds, the kind of work that attracts enthusiasts willing to spend serious money on cars they love.
What actually happened was different.
Customers paid deposits — sometimes substantial ones — for engine swaps and restoration work that was never completed. But it didn't stop at simply not doing the work. Finley allegedly stripped parts from customers' vehicles and sold them, leaving owners with cars in worse condition than when they arrived.
When law enforcement moved in, they recovered 24 vehicles and an estimated $2 million worth of parts from the property. The investigation identified 72 victims and documented $498,000 in stolen funds.
"Customers didn't just lose their deposits. They lost parts off their own cars — cars they'd trusted someone to restore."
Why Classic and Specialty Car Owners Are Vulnerable
This kind of fraud hits harder in the classic and specialty car world for a few reasons:
- The work is subjective and takes time. A standard oil change is done in an hour. An engine swap can legitimately take months. Delay doesn't automatically signal fraud, which gives bad actors room to operate.
- Customers are emotionally invested. These aren't commuter cars — they're passion projects. That emotional investment makes people more patient and less likely to escalate early.
- Shops can be small and informal. Enthusiast shops often run lean. No front desk, no formal intake process, no paper trail — which makes disputes harder to resolve.
- Parts are valuable and portable. Classic car components are worth real money and easy to sell. A dishonest operator has both motive and means.
Red Flags for Any Major Restoration Job
Before you hand over a deposit for a large project:
- Get a written contract with a clear scope of work, timeline, and deposit terms
- Ask what happens to your car if the project is delayed — and get that answer in writing
- Visit periodically to see actual progress. Any legitimate shop should welcome it.
- Never pay the full amount upfront for a multi-stage project
- Check for complaints with the state attorney general's office and the Better Business Bureau
- Ask for references from customers who've had similar work completed
If a shop can't produce references for jobs like yours, that's worth noting.
After the Raid
Cases like this move slowly through the legal system. Victims may recover some assets through the process, but many won't get whole. The 72 people in this case spent months or years waiting for work that was never coming.
The best outcome is avoiding the situation entirely. EthicalMechanic.org exists to help drivers find mechanics with a track record of honesty — especially for the big jobs where trust matters most.