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Owner of ASAP Towing arrested, defrauded state of nearly $200K, Jacksonville police say

By ActionNewsJax.com News Staff
By ActionNewsJax.com News Staff

After more than a year of conflict with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the owner of a local towing company has been arrested.

Vicente “Vince” Serrano, the owner of ASAP Towing, turned himself in Wednesday on charges of grand theft and fraud.

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Police say he defrauded the state out of nearly $200,000 from 2020 to 2024 by not properly documenting and paying out for unclaimed towed vehicle sales.

Action News Jax has been following this investigation for more than a year.

In July, JSO raided the business, believing Serrano was hiding evidence. JSO shared video from those raids on Wednesday.

Theft and Fraud arrest

GRAND THEFT AND FRAUD ARREST ASAP Towing owner Vicente "Vince" Serrano was arrested Wednesday on charges of grand theft and organized fraud following a lengthy Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office investigation. Detectives found that from 2020 to 2024, Serrano underreported vehicle sale proceeds and inflated fees, defrauding the State of Florida of $193,958.54 by withholding sale proceeds from the Clerk of Court, which is required by law. As shown in this video, JSO Auto Crimes detectives served search warrants at ASAP’s four Jacksonville locations in July, leading to these charges. Serrano turned himself in Wednesday morning and was booked into the Duval County Jail. The State Attorney’s Office will handle the prosecution of the case.

Posted by Jacksonville Sheriff's Office on Wednesday, November 13, 2024

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We spoke with Serrano at the time, who said investigators wouldn’t find anything.

In 2023, JSO cut ties with ASAP Towing after they reportedly towed more than a dozen cars from apartment complexes without approval from the properties.

Vicente “Vince” Serrano Vicente “Vince” Serrano, the owner of ASAP Towing, turned himself in Wednesday on charges of grand theft and fraud. (Jacksonville Sheriff's Office)

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