A Jacksonville, Fla.-primarily based totally towing corporation is accused of taking gain of its enterprise dating with nearby regulation enforcement businesses as a part of a scheme to overcharge clients to the track of greater than $100,000 throughout a two-yr period.⠀⠀Southern Wrecker & Recovery president Gregory Gaylord and his son, Garrison Gaylord, vice chairman of the corporation, had been currently charged with prepared fraud through the Jacksonville Sherriff’s Office.⠀⠀These expenses got here after an research through the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, which used the towing corporation to do away with vehicles from crashes, observed at least $104,569.ninety seven in fraudulent billing, consistent with a News4Jax I-Team report.⠀⠀The exorbitant payments had been a end result of the corporation charging greater than set quotes permit and for offerings now no longer authorized through ordinance, consistent with the Jacksonville Sherriff’s Office research.⠀⠀In addition, the Florida Highway Patrol, which extensively utilized the Gaylords’ corporation, claimed being overcharged 18 instances from July 2020 to October 2020 in a letter dispatched to Southern Wrecker & Recovery.⠀⠀The present day expenses observe a civil lawsuit through a former enterprise companion towards the daddy and son for allegedly taking $3.6 million from a enterprise task and the usage of it for private expenses, stated the WJXT-TV I-Team report.⠀⠀Neither regulation enforcement corporation will use the offerings of the towing corporation, whose internet site says has been serving more northeast Florida for greater than 20 years, going forward.⠀⠀The Gaylords every published a $75,000 bond. There had been no courtroom docket dates pending for both celebration as of Jan. 6, consistent with Jacksonville Sherriff’s Office records.⠀⠀OOIDA’s combat towards overcharged tows⠀⠀The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has been operating for years to cope with the problem of trucking businesses being overcharged for third-celebration tows. OOIDA has filed court cases on behalf of its members. The Association additionally has labored numerous states to set up set quotes, in addition to avenues for a trucking corporation to document a grievance while it believes it became overcharged .Let me first say that there’s a whole lot of notable towing businesses on this country,” stated Mike Matousek, OOIDA’s director of kingdom legislative affairs. “I’ve had the possibility to paintings with lots of them. That stated, it’s no mystery that there’s additionally lots of terrible actors within side the towing enterprise so those allegations aren’t shocking – they’re genuinely a ways too common. Thankfully there’s ongoing efforts to cope with those abuses all throughout the country, however it’s going to take time.”