The owner of the Turlock recreational vehicle store currently under investigation by the Department of Motor Vehicles is no stranger to criminal probes.

Naiel Ammari, along with his brothers Nabeel Ammari and Nazeh Ammari and their Best RV Center in Manteca, were the subjects of a fraud investigation in 2005 by the San Joaquin District Attorney’s Office.

As the owner of Best RV Center in Turlock, Naiel Ammari is currently under investigation by the DMV amidst allegations of charging customers a bogus fee.

DMV spokesman Mike Marando said the dealership had been charging some customers a “California Pre-Delivery Inspection Fee” of $750. According to the DMV, the dealership was telling customers this was a mandated state fee, but in reality, no such fee exists.

Agents with the DMV served out a search warrant at the Turlock dealership on Tuesday and seized 10 boxes of documents and the dealership’s computer system.

It’s unknown how many people were charged the fraudulent fee, but according to the DMV, at least half of the transactions over the past year and a half had the phony fee attached.

The DMV is pursuing a criminal case against Naiel Ammari, which could include a fine and/or a license suspension or revocation.

In 2005 Naiel Ammari and his brothers were facing fraud and embezzlement charges regarding RV rentals. The men were accused of renting out RVs without telling the owners. The owners had an agreement to share rental profits with the brothers because the vehicles were being kept at the Manteca center, but they claimed they never saw any of the rental monies. The brothers were also facing allegations they bilked people for phony insurance claims.

The charges were eventually dropped and the Ammaris agreed to pay the victims restitution. The Best RV Center in Manteca closed a few years later and re-opened in Turlock.

To contact Sabra Stafford, e-mail sstafford@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2002.