CAMBRIA COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — A lawsuit has been filed against a Cambria County used car dealer for illegally selling vehicles, according to Attorney General Michelle Henry.

According to the lawsuit, David Gaida, 25, had been selling used vehicles, many of them in need of major repairs, through a Facebook Marketplace account under the name “Dave’s Auto Sales.” Gaida was not licensed to sell the vehicles.

The lawsuit claims Gaida did not follow dealer guidelines as anyone selling more than five vehicles a year is considered a dealer. Henry said Gaida advertised vehicles as “roadworthy” but the vehicles needed major repairs and many of them did not have valid titles.

“This man purported himself to be a trustworthy car dealer and broke consumers’ confidence in buying a reliable used vehicle,” Attorney General Henry said. “People and families depend on their cars to get them to work and vital appointments. These consumers were swindled into buying broken cars or cars that did not even have legitimate titles.”

According to the press release, Gaida allegedly refused to provide customers with a written agreement of sale, failed to submit paperwork to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to complete the certificate of title and, in some cases, illegally repossessed the vehicle from its purchaser. Gaida also did not have the required license to offer installment contracts to customers.

The lawsuit calls on the court to order Gaida to:

• Pay restitution to all consumers who have suffered losses;
• Permanently prohibit Gaida from selling motor vehicles in Pennsylvania;
• Cancel all installment sales contracts provided by Gaida and release all liens against customer’s property; and
• Pay civil penalties of $1,000 for each violation of the Consumer Protection Law and $3,000 for each violation involving a consumer age 60 or older.

Customers who believe they or someone they know might have been a victim of Dave’s Auto Sales and/or David Gaida can file a complaint with the Bureau of Consumer Protections online, by calling (800) 441-2555 or by emailing scams@attorneygeneral.gov.

Repair facilities, dealers, or anyone else who may have information regarding the alleged business practices of David Gaida and Dave’s Auto Sales should also contact the Bureau.