DENVER — Wyatts Towing, once the state's largest tow operator that has been investigated and repeatedly accused of predatory practices, has been sold.
The Public Utilities Commission told Denver7 Investigates on Tuesday that Wyatts was sold to Elite Towing.
"The PUC has been working to resolve outstanding regulatory matters involving Wyatt's Towing, with consumer protection being the focus of such actions," a spokesperson wrote in an email.
The Colorado Attorney General’s Office also confirmed to Denver7 Investigates that Wyatts informed the office about an ownership change earlier this year, but did not name the new owner.
Wyatts had reached a $1 million settlement agreement with Attorney General Phil Weiser’s office last year after an investigation found that the company had illegally engaged in deceptive and unfair business practices for years. Much of that money was earmarked to repay customers.
Wyatts’ attorney did not respond to a request for comment and a call to the Wyatts Towing main line was not answered. Wyatts' north location is now flagged as “permanently closed” on Google, but the south location does not say the same.
When Denver7 called Elite Towing to get information, a representative said that Elite merged with Wyatts and bought all of its accounts.
Last week, the AG’s office announced that people who were victimized by Wyatts’ business practices would start to see checks in the mail in the coming days.
"Wyatt's towing broke the law to make a quick buck. That is not OK. People are out hundreds of thousands of dollars because they were charged for fees that they never should have been charged for,” Weiser previously told Denver7 Investigates.
Denver7 Investigates has reported on Wyatts for more than a year, exposing its web of companies that oversaw all parts of the towing process, from managing the parking lots, towing the vehicles and selling unclaimed cars at auction.
"Wyatts Towing took and sold thousands of vehicles across Colorado, often making it impossible for their owners to go to work or take their kids to school. Their departure from the market is good news and an important step toward accountability," said Zach Neumann, co-founder of the Community Economic Defense Project.
