Fallbrook vintage Porsche dealer pleads guilty to consignment sales fraud

A Fallbrook woman who owned a Porsche restoration and resale business pleaded guilty in San Diego federal court Thursday to defrauding her customers and has agreed to pay more than $8 million in restitution to 57 victims.

Andrea Nicole Doherty, 38, admitted to taking more than $827,000 from customers during the years after she took over the business, CPR Classic, from her father following his 2021 death. The company has since been mired in lawsuits from customers who claim they were owed money or vehicles, and the company’s vehicle dealer license was suspended by the California Department of Motor Vehicles last year.

Doherty pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud related to three vehicles sold through CPR Classic.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said one Porsche, a 1973 911E Targa, was sold to two separate buyers, and Doherty accepted payments from both without informing or paying the seller.

Another time, she agreed to sell a 1972 Porsche 911S and took $280,000 from a buyer, but did not give that money to the seller, prosecutors said. She later took $275,000 from another buyer and used part of that money to pay the seller.

Another car, a 1983 Porsche 930T Slantnose, was sold for $130,000 without the seller being paid or informed, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Doherty is due to be sentenced in February.

Anyone who believes they may be a victim in the case was advised to submit a report to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov, the California Department of Motor Vehicles at dmv.ca.gov/portal/customer-service/dmv-complaints-ffinv-1/, or a claim through the Consumer Motor Vehicle Recovery Corporation at CMVRC.org.