By Josh Resnek
Adam Haddad of Shrewsbury, the owner of an auto body shop in Everett just across from the Encore Casino, and in Worcester, has been indicted on 42 charges, including 18 counts of insurance fraud, Attorney General Maura Healy announced Monday.
Authorities say Haddad use sledge hammers and mallets to further damage cars he was repairing in order to obtain higher insurance payouts.
Haddad, 42, has been in a war with his Everett landlord, the owner of the property that houses his body shop on Mystic Street.
Last month he filed a lawsuit in Federal Courtclaiming the property’s owner, Rocco Vigorito,wants to cash out on a $10 million offer for hisproperty from Wynn Resorts, and that Wynn Resorts has been conspiring with Everett BuildingDepartment officials to terminate Haddad’s lease sothe property can be conveyed.
Haddad claimed in his lawsuit that Wynn Resorts was demanding that Vigorito hand over the property empty of tenants.
Haddad’s lease runs out in 2026.
Vigorito denies the property is for sale and that he has done nothing to deny Haddad’s rights underhis lease. He said no such $10 million offer for theproperty exists in any form from Wynn Resorts.
Monday’s indictment is likely not going to helpHaddad’s case in Federal Court.
Haddad was indicted on 10 charges of motor vehicle fraud and 8 counts of larceny by false pretenses.
The attorney general says surveillance footage from one of the two locations owned by Haddad (he owns two body shops, one in Everett and another in Worcester) shows him using mallets, sledgehammersand pieces of wood to intentionally damage five customers’ vehicles to inflate appraisal repair quotes.He would then allegedly pocket the insurance payout and not complete the repairs.
When informed of the charges Monday, Haddad apparently told a reporter for the Worcester Telegram and Gazette newspaper that the charges are “news to me.”