May 30th, 2010 
Countless Chicagoans and tourists have been ferried around town in the back seats of wrecked police cars that were illegally converted into taxicabs. Here are four examples involving cabs operated by Symon Garber, who runs Chicago Carriage Cab Co. and Royal 3 CCC Chicago Taxi Association:
On Jan. 15, 2009, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White issues a “salvage certificate” for the squad car — meaning it can’t legally be driven in Illinois unless it’s repaired, inspected by state officials and found to be safe to drive.
On Feb. 4, 2009, SOM Auto Broker — an Indiana-licensed auto dealer that operates from a small house in Burbank as well as an office in a tiny Indiana town about 100 miles southeast of Chicago’s Loop — buys the wrecked squad car at an auction. SOM has a bill of sale showing that the car was abandoned or stolen — not that it was declared a “salvage” vehicle in Illinois. That document allows SOM to get a “clean title” from the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. “Under Indiana law, that’s an adequate document for us to issue a title,” says Dennis Rosebrough, deputy commissioner for the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. In a case like this, unless the owner tells Indiana the car was salvaged, Rosebrough says, “How do we know to issue a salvaged title?” The title has now been “washed,” concealing that the car had been declared “salvage” by Illinois.
Eight days later, SOM sells the car to Seven Amigos Used Cars, a Chicago body shop at 4169 N. Elston. It’s one of several “salvaged” or “rebuilt” cars that Seven Amigos has bought from SOM, a company that went out of business last year.
On Feb. 15, 2009, Seven Amigos president Alexsandr Igolnikov transfers ownership of the car to Chicago Elite Cab Co. — which owns about 90 percent of the 831 maroon-colored cabs in Garber’s fleet. Igolnikov is vice president of Chicago Elite Cab Co.; Garber is president.
With the “clear title” issued by Indiana, Chicago Elite Cab asks the Illinois secretary of state’s office on March 27, 2009, to register the wrecked police car in Illinois with a “clear title.” But Illinois officials said no because the car previously had a “salvage” title in Illinois, says Ernie Dannenberger, the secretary of state’s vehicles department director.
The application from Chicago Elite Cab shows the car was already operating as a taxicab bearing license plate number 3347 TX — the same number on the medallion issued by the City of Chicago’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection. That medallion is owned by Green Eyes Cab Corp., whose seven registered owners include Garber and Igolnikov. Green Eyes paid $45,000 for the medallion on May 13, 2004.
On April 9, 2010, the former Lombard police car is among 339 taxicabs ordered off the streets by City Hall in a crackdown against cab companies violating a city regulation that bans using any vehicle as a cab if it has ever been issued a “salvage” or “rebuilt” title anywhere in the United States.
On May 4, Garber gets a “rebuilt” title from the Illinois secretary of state, certifying that the car has been repaired without using any stolen auto parts and that it’s now safe to drive on the state’s roads — though not, under the city’s rules, ever as a cab.
Originally owned by the Brookings, S.D., police department, it has 52,597 miles on it when an oncoming car turns in front of the police officer on Aug. 29, 2008, totaling the squad car. South Dakota officials brand it a “salvage” vehicle.
Car DL Inc., an Indiana-licensed dealer with offices in Chicago and Hammond, buys the car and gets a “rebuilt” title for the car from the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, according to a vehicle-history report obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times from Carfax, a private company that sells such reports to consumers, car dealers and state motor vehicle departments across the country.
Car DL sells the car to Seven Amigos Used Cars, which transfers it to Chicago Elite Cab Corp., which gets a “clear title” from White. His staff now says it recently revoked that “clear title” because it has since learned that the Indiana title didn’t disclose that the vehicle had been “rebuilt.” They speculate that this could be because the word “rebuilt” might have been covered up by an “auction” sticker when the vehicle was sold at auction.
As of March 31, city records list the car as an “active” cab for Royal 3 CCC Taxi, operating under city-issued medallion 2793 that Garber’s partners bought six years ago for $50,000.
Originally owned by the Camden, S.C., police department, it has 1,905 miles on it when it’s totaled on March 6, 2008, ending up with a “salvage” title from South Carolina. The insurance company sells the wrecked squad to Car DL, which resells it to Seven Amigos. It’s transferred to Chicago Elite Cab, which gets a “clear” title in 2009 from the Illinois secretary of state.
Following a Sun-Times inquiry, White’s office says it plans to revoke the clear title because the South Carolina title didn’t show that the vehicle had been totaled. Again, the suspicion is that a sales sticker covered up the word “salvage” on the South Carolina title.
As of March 31, city records list the vehicle as a taxi operated by Chicago Carriage Cab, bearing city-issued medallion 3309 that Garber’s business associates bought six years ago for $47,000.
Originally owned by a Georgia police department, it has 10,662 miles on it when it’s totaled last July 20, ending up with a “salvage” title from Georgia. The car is sold to SOM Auto Broker, which resells it to Seven Amigos, which transfers title to Chicago Elite Cab, which obtains a “clear” title from the Illinois secretary of state.
Again, the Illinois agency suspects that a sticker on the Georgia title hid that it was a “salvage” title.
As of March 31, city records list the car as a taxi operated by Chicago Carriage Cab under city-issued medallion number 3010, which Garber and his partners bought last Sept. 17 for $183,000.
