8:37 am, May 20, 2026
A dodgy car dealer has been banned from working in the motor trade after he admitted to fraudulent trading.
Max Grunfeld ran BMG Autohaus in Gloucester, where he intentionally misled customers about the condition and history of vehicles, before using fake documents to cover his tracks.
The 34-year-old advertised four vehicles claiming they had full service histories, which was later found to be false.
Two customers were advised by him that the service history documents would follow the sale but no documents ever materialised. In an attempt to conceal his lies, on one of the vehicles, Grunfeld even prepared and supplied a false service history booklet.
His scam sparked an investigation by the Trading Standards team at Gloucestershire County Council and he eventually pleaded guilty to fraud charges at Gloucester Crown Court.
He returned to the dock last Friday (May 15) where he was sentenced to a three-year Community Order. As part of his sentence, Grunfield must undertake 25 rehabilitation days, and 200 hours unpaid work.
He was also slapped with a criminal behaviour order, meaning he cannot sell, advertise cars other than his personal vehicle, or work in the car trade, and disqualified as a director for 10 years.
The judge also ruled that he must return to court every six weeks to report on his gambling addiction issue, and a separate Proceeds of Crime Investigation was also set up to try and recoup any money Grunfield may have made via illegal means.
Reacting to the sentence, Paul Hodgkinson, cabinet member responsible for Trading Standards at Gloucestershire County Council, said: ‘This case shows how seriously we take any attempts to mislead or deceive customers.
‘People have a right to trust that the information they are given when buying a vehicle is accurate and honest. Our Trading Standards team works hard to protect residents from unfair and fraudulent practices, and we will not hesitate to take action where there is clear evidence of wrongdoing.’
