FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Bruce Springsteen’s drummer, Max Weinberg, is suing the homeowners of a Florida automotive restoration firm, saying they stole $125,000 by falsely promising him a like-new 1957 Mercedes-Benz after which utilizing his cash for private bills.
Weinberg is searching for $375,000 from Arthur Siegle, members of his household and their Funding Automotive Group Inc. in a lawsuit filed Sunday in Palm Seashore County. The Mercedes-Benz 190SL roadster they claimed they may ship had vital harm and rust, they usually knew it couldn’t be restored to like-new situation once they took Weinberg’s $125,000 deposit nearly three years in the past, in accordance with the lawsuit.
A subsequent legislation enforcement investigation concluded that the Siegles used little or no cash from Weinberg’s deposit on restoring the automotive, however as an alternative paid off bank cards and made deposits to non-public accounts. No felony prices have been filed.
“I guess they figured he’s Max Weinberg, million-dollar drummer for Bruce Springsteen, Mighty Max. He can afford to lose $125,000,” Weinberg’s legal professional, Valentin Rodriguez, stated Tuesday.
Siegle “thought he may pull the wool over the eyes of somebody who’s fairly well-known and rich, however Max wasn’t simply going to sit down down and take it,” Rodriguez stated. He stated Weinberg shouldn’t be an skilled on classic automobiles however has simply at all times needed to personal one.
Peter Weintraub, the Siegles’ legal professional, didn’t reply to an electronic mail searching for remark.
Weinberg, 72, is the longtime drummer in Springsteen’s E Road Band and led Conan O’Brien’s band when he hosted “Late Night” and “The Tonight Show.” The musician presently excursions together with his personal present, Max Weinberg’s Jukebox. He’s suing beneath a Florida legislation that enables triple damages for intentional theft.
Based on the lawsuit, Weinberg says that in April 2021, he contacted Siegle and his son, Stuart Siegle, a couple of 1957 Mercedes-Benz 190SL he understood they have been restoring. The 190SL is a convertible manufactured from 1955 to 1963.
Weinberg says he advised the Siegles he needed a Mercedes he may enter at Concours-level reveals, which function automobiles which were restored to like-new or higher situation utilizing nearly solely authentic elements. The Siegles assured him the 190SL they have been restoring would meet that customary and can be a “murals” and “best of the best,” he says.
He paid them $125,000, a down fee on the $225,000 sale value. The steadiness can be paid when the automotive was completed.
Inside weeks, Weinberg turned frightened concerning the automotive and employed an skilled to examine it on the Siegles’ store. The skilled, Pierre Hedary, discovered vital rust, welds that had been improperly made, proof that the automotive had been in accident and several other different main issues. He stated the automotive wasn’t even a 1957 because the Siegles claimed, however a 1956.
In a report filed with the lawsuit, Hedary wrote that when restored, the automotive may very well be pushed and impress laypeople however wouldn’t move scrutiny at top-level automotive reveals. He estimated its restored value at $120,000, about half what the Siegles claimed.
He stated the Siegles’ statements that the automotive can be a “work of art” and “better of the very best” are often “the most egregious form of puffery unfortunately at times demonstrated throughout the classic/vintage motorcar industry.”
When the Siegles refused to refund Weinberg’s cash, he filed a criticism with the Broward Sheriff’s Workplace.
In a 2022 report filed with the lawsuit, Detective Scott Schaefer wrote that his investigation confirmed that after receiving Weinberg’s cash, the Siegles deposited practically all of it into private accounts with nearly $50,000 masking bank card and different private funds.
“I didn’t discover any transactions that might have been attributed to the work being achieved on (Weinberg’s) automobile,” Schaefer wrote.
He stated it’s potential they paid money for elements, however he noticed no proof of that.
Schaefer wrote that when he confronted Arthur Siegle with Weinberg’s accusations, he responded, “I do not know what this man is complaining about nor do I actually care.”
Schaefer beneficial that Arthur Siegle be charged with grand theft. The Broward State Legal professional’s Workplace stated Tuesday the case stays beneath assessment.
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