Stratford Classic Car Restoration Firm Fined for Tampering or Altering Vehicle ID

Wednesday, March 20th, 2024 -- 4:00 PM

(Kevin Murphy, USA TODAY NETWORK - Wisconsin) A Stratford-based classic car restoration firm was fined $95,000 and placed on three years’ probation last week for selling a car with parts altered to appear to be original to the collector vehicle, according to Kevin Murphy with USA TODAY NETWORK - Wisconsin.

According to federal court documents, Kuyoth’s Body & Custom Inc., owned by Troy Kuyoth, has bought, restored and sold cars since 1992. Collector cars are more valuable when all parts having vehicle identification numbers, or serial numbers, match the VIN assigned to the car by the manufacturer.

The vehicle that prompted the investigation was the 2022 sale of a 1970 Boss 429 Ford Mustang. The car’s engine and transmission were not original to the vehicle, as their serial numbers were ground off and hand stamped with serial numbers that made the replacement parts appear to be original to the car.

Kuyoth’s then listed the car for $375,000, advertising it as a “numbers-matching” car causing purchasers to think they were buying an all-original car for which they’d pay a premium price, the documents said. The car was sold but the buyer returned it a week later asking for a refund saying it wasn’t set up as a streetcar, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Grabber.

The buyer received his money back but later that year, state and local authorities searched the shop and seized several vehicles being restored for customers and other car parts.

The state decided not to prosecute Kuyoth’s but the U.S. Attorney’s Office charged the firm with tampering or altering a vehicle ID. A conviction carries maximum penalties of five years in prison, a $250,00 fine, restitution and three years’ supervised release if the defendant is an individual.

Troy Kuyoth wasn’t personally charged with the crime, his corporation was. The corporation pled guilty to the charge in October, and the corporation and the government agreed the fine should be $95,000.

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