Mavis Discount Tire falsified its records of brake work allegedly done on the limo that crashed and killed 20 people in Schoharie last October, according to new court documents filed by the Schoharie County district attorney.

Susan Mallery's office interviewed Virgil Park, a now-former manager of the Saratoga Springs auto shop, who said he bought a brake part for the stretch SUV limo in May 2018. Although the invoice stated the part was installed, a mechanic told Park that never happened and the part was returned to the store, according to court documents.

Park also told the district attorney's office that Mavis didn't perform an inspection on the limousine, but still provided certification to Prestige Limousine.

This wasn't the only time Mavis charged the limousine company for work not done, Park told prosecutors.

The defense claims Nauman Hussain, operator of Prestige Limousine, was billed for the work and was led to believe it was fixed. He's facing 20 counts of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.

His defense attorney Lee Kindlon says this a big step forward in this investigation, and he maintains that his client is innocent.

"Now the question becomes, what did Mavis know, what did they tell Mr. Hussain? What we really need to see now, because really all we have now is a letter from the district attorney, is the guts of the investigation," said Kindlon.

Previous civil cases against Hussain and Mavis say the company did not have the authority to inspect a limo of its size in the first place.

A spokesperson for Mavis gave the following statement to Spectrum News:

“Many of the statements attributed to Mr. Virgil Park, a former Mavis employee, in the October 7 letter, as well as those made by Mr. Nauman Hussain’s criminal defense attorneys in the October 8 letter, are inaccurate or misleading. 

Mavis is committed to providing high quality, safe, affordable services to our customers. Our service and billing policies are honest, fair and sound and we vehemently disagree with any allegations to the contrary.  Mr. Hussain and his criminal defense lawyers are attempting to falsely attack Mavis in a desperate diversion tactic to shift responsibility away from Mr. Hussain, where it solely belongs.

The vehicle in question traveled more than a thousand miles over several months since it was serviced at Mavis. During that time, Mr. Hussain, according to the District Attorney’s Office and the New York State Police, committed serious crimes by, among other things, defying an order to take the vehicle out of service.

Our thoughts and condolences remain with the victims of this tragic accident. Mavis did not cause the accident, however, and bears no legal responsibility for it. Mavis continues to fully cooperate with authorities as a witness in the criminal case against Mr. Hussain.”

The New York state Department of Motor Vehicles also issued a statement Thursday.

"The Vehicle and Traffic Law allows DMV, after a hearing, to address a violation of the repair shop and inspection station laws by a fine of up to $750 per violation and/or revocation or suspension of the business license for fraudulent practices. The first we learned of these repair shop allegations was in media reports [Wednesday] and we will be pursuing them to the fullest extent of our authority. DMV had not previously taken administrative action against Mavis at the request of the District Attorney," the statement read. 

Schoharie County DA Letter to Defense Regarding Mavis Tire by Timothy Robertson on Scribd