By
Angelica
Martinez
UNION-TRIBUNE BREAKING NEWS TEAM
1:16 p.m. September 14, 2007
SAN DIEGO
– City prosecutors who shut down
a television repairman convicted
of scamming customers four years
ago are trying to pull the plug
on him once again.
The City Attorney's Office filed
a 16-count amended complaint Thursday
against John Zawatski, also known
as Vinny J. Johnson, after several
consumers filed consumer complaints
related to his businesses.
The charges include grand theft,
unlicensed electronic repair and
false advertising.
Deputy City Attorney Joan McNamara
filed the original complaint Aug.
14 and on Thursday added more victims
to the list of people who reported
that Zawatski went to their homes,
took their television sets or parts
for repair and didn't return, officials
said.
The California Department of Consumer
Affairs' Bureau of Electronic Appliance
Repair, otherwise known as BEAR,
has received similar complaints,
officials said.
Zawatski has done business under
the following names:
Chula
Vista
Audio and Video
Colur-Rite TV Service
Technohouse
America
Tommy's TV of
Pacific
Beach
In 2003, Zawatski was sentenced
to three years in county jail after
he pleaded guilty to grand theft,
forgery, fraud, false advertising
and other charges.
Back then, the City Attorney's Office
had compiled a dossier on John “Vinny”
Johnson, also known as John Zawatski
and John Palumbo. They included
106 complaints from individuals
who said they lost hundreds of dollars
in repairs and sometimes thousands
in the price of their TVs.
In that case, Zawatski was caught
after two undercover sting operations
where state investigators posed
as consumers needing their televisions
repaired.
As part of his sentencing, Zawatski
was ordered to forfeit his repair
license and pay restitution to the
victims.
In the past, Zawatski ran an electronic
repair business named Big Screen
TV of San Diego and Best TV.
City attorney's officials Friday
said Zawatski also conducts an electronic
repair business under the name of
Atom Boys TV Service.
Officials said the investigation
is still continuing and more misdemeanor
charges may be filed. To contact
the City Attorney's Consumer and
Environmental help line, call (619)
533-5600.
Angelica
Martinez:
(619) 293-1317;
angelica.martinez@uniontrib.com
