A Wynnefield man’s title-washing scheme put 65 luxury cars in the hands of criminals, AG says

For a little over a year, Adam Richardson was known among local car thieves as “the title guy,” state investigators said Monday. They could steal a car, visit Richardson’s title shop and resell it, either to a co-conspirator or a unwitting bystander.

From his office on Golf Road in Wynnefield, Richardson, 40, created false title, registration and insurance documents for luxury vehicles stolen from New Jersey, Philadelphia and its suburbs, including a Ferrari Portofino worth $260,000 and a bevy of Mercedes, BMWs and similar vehicles.

All told, Richardson facilitated the illegal transfer of 65 vehicles, the street value of which is nearly $4 million, according to state Attorney General Dave Sunday.

Richardson was arrested Friday and charged with racketeering, forgery, tampering with public records and related crimes.

Sunday, speaking at a news conference in Northeast Philadelphia, said Richardson’s actions — referred to as “title washing” — created “a veil” behind which criminals were able to operate.

“What should be most concerning about this conduct to individuals and families in our communities is that title washing enables criminals to move in and out of communities without being detected by law enforcement,” he said.

Sunday declined to disclose whether the 37 vehicles recovered by Pennsylvania State Police were involved in other crimes, but he said that title washing is often linked to drug trafficking and other violent crimes.

The state’s investigation into Richardson is ongoing, he said.

Richardson remained in custody Monday in Dauphin County, denied bail due to the extent of his alleged crimes. There was no indication he had hired an attorney.

He will be prosecuted in Central Pennsylvania, investigators said, given his abuse of his power as a third-party contractor eligible to do business with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

State Police investigators began investigating Richardson in May 2024, when a trooper at the Trevose Station and Barracks impounded a BMW X7 that he suspected possessed a fraudulent title, according to the affidavit of probable cause for Richardson’s arrest.

The vehicle had been registered in South Carolina, using a VIN that did not conform with the standard for that state, and possessed a fake insurance policy, the affidavit said.

The true VIN, investigators said, matched a car reported stolen a month earlier in Montville Township in western New Jersey.

Investigators later interviewed a confidential informant who had facilitated the resale of the car. The informant had gotten the car, knowing it was stolen, from a man who told him to see Richardson, identifying him as “the 24-hour title guy” who had a reputation to meet sellers “anywhere and anytime,” the affidavit said.

The informant told troopers Richardson helped him put the car in another person’s name, using a photo of their driver’s license.

Using the unique identification number issued to Richardson’s business by PennDOT, investigators were able to identify the 65 cars involved in the “title-washing” scheme.

During the investigation, investigators spoke with multiple vehicle owners who said they had been paid money in exchange to have the stolen vehicles registered in their names, despite never meeting Richardson, visiting his business or driving the vehicles, according to the affidavit.

Previous audits by PennDOT in 2022 and 2023 found that his title business was violating multiple laws, including issuing plates to salvage vehicles and selling cars without a license.