Used Car Salesman Sentenced to 41 Months for Defrauding Wheelchair Buyers

PHILADELPHIA — A federal judge sentenced used-car salesman David J. McAnally to 41 months in prison on June 3 for defrauding multiple customers who purchased or sought wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

The sentence, handed down in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, stems from a scheme in which McAnally accepted payments for modified vehicles but failed to deliver them or provided cars that did not meet accessibility requirements.

Customers paid thousands of dollars expecting vans equipped with ramps or lifts; many were left without transportation essential for medical appointments and daily mobility.

Court records show McAnally targeted buyers whose needs were explicitly disability-related. The scheme affected an undetermined number of victims whose losses reached tens of thousands of dollars each. One victim paid more than $30,000 for a promised accessible van that was never modified or delivered.

The sentencing concludes a criminal case brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania under wire fraud and motor-vehicle fraud statutes. McAnally must also pay restitution to identified victims and forfeit certain assets upon release. He will begin serving the sentence immediately following any final procedural motions.

This is the latest enforcement action in a pattern of DOJ prosecutions involving auto dealers who exploit buyers with disabilities. Federal prosecutors have pursued similar cases in multiple districts, focusing on sellers who advertise accessible vehicles but either fail to complete modifications or sell standard cars misrepresented as compliant.

The Eastern District of Pennsylvania has handled several such matters in the past 24 months.

The case highlights regulatory gaps in the secondary vehicle market, where buyers often rely on private sellers rather than licensed mobility dealers subject to stricter oversight under the Americans with Disabilities Act and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rules.

Victims must now pursue civil remedies for any losses exceeding court-ordered restitution, while the sentence triggers mandatory supervised release conditions that bar McAnally from auto sales upon completion of his term.