Philadelphia Car Salesman Sentenced in $2.5M Fraud Scheme

lease, rental car, sell, buy. Dealership send contract and car keys to new owner to sign. Sales, loan credit financial, rent vehicle, insurance, renting, Seller, dealer, installment, car care business — Source: Nuttawan Jayawan / Getty

Philadelphia Car Salesman Sentenced in $2.5 Million Wheelchair Van Fraud Scheme

A Philadelphia used car salesman has been sentenced to prison after federal authorities said he stole more than $2.5 million from customers seeking wheelchair-accessible vehicles, many of whom never received the vans they paid for.

Edward Scott Rock, 50, of Philadelphia, was sentenced to 41 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to mail fraud and wire fraud. He was also ordered to pay $1,457,617 in restitution and faces a forfeiture judgment of $1,469,617.

According to court filings, Rock operated the scheme between 2019 and 2023, advertising wheelchair-accessible vehicles, taking payments, and then failing to deliver the promised vans. Prosecutors said he targeted a particularly vulnerable customer base, including people with disabilities, elderly buyers, medical transport companies, senior living homes, and other small businesses.

Authorities said the fraud extended far beyond missed deliveries. Court documents accuse Rock of forging Americans with Disabilities Act compliance letters, inventing excuses for non-delivery, passing bad checks, stopping payment on refunds, and even selling the same vehicle to multiple customers.

“After agreeing to sale terms and accepting payment from a customer for a particular vehicle, Rock continued to list, sell, and accept payment for that same vehicle again, this time from a new victim-purchaser,” officials wrote in court filings.

Federal prosecutors said the scheme affected more than 100 victims and pulled in over $2.5 million. While some buyers were repaid — often with money from later victims — more than 75 victims remain unpaid and still without the vehicles they purchased.

The case underscores the financial and personal toll fraud can carry when it targets buyers searching for specialized transportation, especially those with urgent mobility needs.