Steve’s Towing was accused of auctioning off the vehicles of at least seven military service members stationed in the Virginia Beach area between April 2019 and April 2022, including two Arizona-tagged automobiles belonging to a Navy SEAL deployed overseas in early 2020 when the cars were first towed.
“This case began with a member of a Navy SEAL team who returned home from an overseas deployment, only to find that a towing company had auctioned off two vehicles that he had parked at a military base. This resolution will compensate all of the servicemembers whose vehicles were illegally taken from them while they were serving their country,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
In the Navy SEAL’s case, his Toyota Land Cruiser contained material evidence of his military service, including a bag of uniforms and a challenge coin.