By Jack Tomczuk
A West Philadelphia notary is accused of laundering dozens of stolen luxury cars, worth a combined total of more than $3.8 million, state authorities said this week.
Adam K. Richardson, 40, allegedly drew up fake titles for 65 vehicles between September 2023 and August 2024 through his company, Richardson Family Enterprises LLC, a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation vendor based in Wynnewood, law enforcement officials said.
An informant told investigators that Richardson was known as the “24-hour tag guy” who could complete an ownership transfer with photographs of an identification card supplied through text message, according to charging documents.
Cars were titled by Richardson Family Enterprises after being stolen in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and as far away as Texas, prosecutors said.
Richardson, authorities added, would alter the car’s vehicle identification number (VIN), fabricate out-of-state titles and submit fraudulent insurance information. The vehicles were often recorded as being sold for well below market value, officials said.
Several people allegedly told state investigators that cars were transferred into their names without visiting Richardson’s office, near City Avenue.
One woman admitted she was paid to have a vehicle placed in her name, while another man’s identity appears to have been stolen and used to facilitate the scheme, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Among the most expensive vehicles given “clean” titles were a 2021 Ferrari Portofino valued at $260,000, a 2023 Mercedes AMG 63S ($200,000) and a 2023 Mercedes-Benz G550 ($165,000), the affidavit says. Authorities reported that 37 of the 65 cars have been recovered.
Some buyers knew the cars were stolen, while others were unaware, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said at a news conference Monday.
“The impact from this criminal organization was much more than falsified paperwork,” he added. “This conduct, title washing, is oftentimes directly connected to drug trafficking and violent crime.”
Sunday told reporters he could not comment on whether any of the cars were used to commit crimes. That part of the case remains under investigation, he said.
Pennsylvania State Police launched a broader probe into Richardson after finding several stolen vehicles tied to his title and tag company, authorities said.
In addition to the alleged title fraud, PennDOT sent 145 unissued licensed plates to Richardson Family Enterprises; only two were found during a raid, the affidavit said. More than 90 have been captured by license plate readers across the country, prosecutors said.
PennDOT suspended Richardson in December 2024, and the state revoked his notary license in June.
Richardson was arrested March 13 and charged with being a part of a corrupt organization, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, forgery, fraud and other offenses. No attorney was listed as representing him in the state’s docketing system.
The case was filed in Dauphin County, and Richardson is being held without bail in a jail there. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 24 in Harrisburg.