The city farmed out car repair work to shops where employees had previous criminal charges filed against them for insurance fraud, the Courier-Post has learned.

The latest irregularities come after it was discovered that city employees spent $187,000 to rent cars without the approval of City Council, a violation of state bidding laws.

"This looks bad," Jenkins said. "These are questions that need to be answered. If the people in this city are ever going to have any confidence or trust in the city government, we've got to change the way we do things here."

Nu-Car Dealer Body Shop of Cherry Hill filed suit against the city, claiming its contract was violated when an undetermined amount of car repair work was given to other companies.

Andy Maisch, owner of Nu-Car, said he is seeking $150,000 in storage costs and $12,700 in back payments because the city abandoned 15 police vehicles in his shop for 18 months.

Maisch said he cannot understand why the city spent $187,000 to rent police cars for a year, when it could have spent $79,000 to repair the 15 vehicles that were left sitting in his shop.

Bollettieri, the officer formerly in charge of the police department's traffic division, was indicted in 2002 on charges he took bribes to supply police reports to American Spinal Care Inc., a Collingswood chiropractic clinic, according to the state Attorney General's Office.

Charles Warrington II, a former employee of the now-defunct clinic, was sentenced in 2004 to three years in state prison for insurance fraud for his role in the scheme, which used police reports to solicit patients to increase insurance claims.

Nick Masino, manager at MAACO in Maple Shade, said he was hired to replace Bollettieri. He said he didn't know how many Camden cars were sent to MAACO.

Maisch took photographs of Camden vehicles at the Bellmawr Collision auto repair shop in Runnemede. The shop formerly was owned by Joseph Visco, who in 1991 pleaded guilty to defrauding auto insurance companies of at least $731,800.

"I don't know about their contract," DeFrates said. "If Camden asks me to do a job for them, I do a job for them. I don't remember taking too many cars, though."

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