Classic cars can be expensive and time-consuming to restore, which is why owners will often entrust a restoration company to bring them back to their former glory. It’s even better if the company can also sell the restored vehicle for you. Well, if they are doing it legally, that is. Unfortunately, not every restoration business is as it seems.
Andrea Nicole Doherty, 38 years old, took over CPR Classic from her father after he passed away in 2021, a company that restored classic Porsches and then sold them on consignment from a storefront in Fallbrook, California. It seems like the start of a wholesome story, but that’s far from how things turned out.
In July 2026, Doherty was sentenced to 21 months in prison for stealing over $827,000 from customers. She pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud tied to three vehicles sold on consignment through the company. “She took customers for a ride. Today, justice brought the trip to an end,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon (via the U.S. Attorney’s Office).
The Porsche restoration scheme that got Doherty in prison
Wondering how CPR Classic got caught up in such a large financial scandal? In 2022, Doherty sold a 1973 Porsche 911E Targa without the owner’s knowledge, then sold it again in 2023, keeping both payments. The owner eventually received a check that bounced. She repeated the scheme with a 1972 Porsche 911S, accepting $280,000 from a buyer who received the car but never its title, while the original owner received nothing. Doherty later sold the Porsche again for $275,000. That year, she also sold a 1983 Porsche 930T Slantnose for $130,000 without the owner’s knowledge, forging their signature on the title. The buyer contacted the owner a year later, who was unaware the Porsche had already been sold.
In 2024, CPR Classic had its vehicle dealer license suspended by the California Department of Motor Vehicles. It ceased operations soon after, a sad end to Doherty’s father’s legacy. On her end, Doherty agreed to pay restitution to the five victims as well as former customers, totaling $9,951,763.04 to 66 individuals. “Ms. Doherty’s long-running fraud was a deliberate scheme that exploited her customers’ trust and left her victims with significant financial losses,” said Special Agent in Charge Mark Remily of the FBI San Diego Field Office. It’s surprisingly not the longest-running vehicle scheme we’ve heard of, with one license plate scheme earning $15 million over the course of 10 years.
