California Department of Motor Vehicles – Criminal Investigations and FBI investigated this case

“California DMV investigators investigate fraud surrounding vehicle sales, ownership, odometer tampering, and driver licenses, to name a few of their many duties to protect consumers.  We thank them for their service to consumer protection and public safety.”

CSLEA President Alan Barcelona

SAN DIEGO – On December 4, 2025, former Fallbrook business owner Andrea Nicole Doherty, 38, pleaded guilty in federal court to defrauding customers of her former Porsche restoration and resale business, admitting to pocketing more than $827,000 and agreeing to pay more than $8 million in restitution to 57 people.

In her plea agreement, Doherty admitted that she took over CPR Classic from her father after his death in 2021. The defendant did business as CPR Classic, which was never registered as a corporation or a limited liability company, restoring classic Porsches and selling them on consignment from its storefront in Fallbrook. Doherty pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud, relating to three specific vehicles sold on consignment by the defendant through CPR Classic.

Doherty was released on bail pending her sentencing on February 23, 2026.

During 2022 and 2023, Doherty sold a 1973 Porsche 911E Targa to two different buyers, accepting payment from both without informing or paying the seller. The seller eventually transferred the vehicle’s title after receiving a check from Doherty, which bounced when he attempted to cash it.

In February 2023, Doherty admitted that she agreed to sell a 1972 Porsche 911S for its owner, and found a buyer the very next day who wired her $280,000 within a week. Although this buyer received the vehicle, Doherty did not transfer legal title and admitted that she had not used the wired funds to pay the seller. Instead, in October 2023, Doherty sold the vehicle again to another buyer, who wired her $275,000, part of which she used to pay the seller, who then transferred title to the October 2023 buyer, unaware of the February 2023 sale.

Also in 2023, Doherty admitted that she sold a 1983 Porsche 930T Slantnose on consignment for $130,000, without telling (or paying) the owner. To complete the sale, Doherty forged the seller’s signature on the transfer of title document. More than a year later, this buyer contacted the vehicle’s owner, who then learned that his car had been sold and delivered to the buyer despite still being listed as available for sale on the CPR Classic website.

CPR Classic’s vehicle dealer license was suspended by the California Department of Motor Vehicles in September 2024, and it ceased operations soon thereafter.

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Wire Fraud – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1343 (three counts)

Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and a $250,000 fine per count

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Federal Bureau of Investigation

California Department of Motor Vehicles – Criminal Investigations