Attorney General Charges Dealerships With Illegal Sales

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says five car dealerships have agreed to pay more than $900,000 in restitution after they were charged with unlawful sales.

The attorney general's office said Wednesday that the two Manhattan dealerships and three Long Island dealerships will also pay $135,000 in penalties to the state. Newsday reports the dealerships sold customers "after-sale" credit repair and identity theft protection services that often added thousands of dollars to the purchase price of the vehicle.

In some cases, consumers were unaware that they had purchased the services.

The Long Island dealerships Nissan of Huntington and Volkswagen of Huntington declined comment. The dealership Nissan of Garden City and the two Manhattan dealerships did not respond to a request for comment.

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Information from: Newsday, http://www.newsday.com