Facing 20 years on fraud, arson charges - and still allegedly towing cars

"The couple's methods purportedly included placing fake "no parking" signs on private lots and towing every vehicle on them, targeting areas populated by largely Spanish and Cantonese speakers, and - in one case - trying to tow a car in downtown San Francisco that had stopped at an intersection, with the driver still inside. This last one was caught on video."

"But, despite facing federal charges on five different counts, that allegedly hasn't stopped Badillo and Fuentes from towing cars. Almost "nightly," say tenants at Bayview Apartments, a tow truck arrives at the low-income housing complex around 2 a.m. "They creep up, pulling up with no lights on," said Dante, a resident at the subsidized housing complex atop "The Hill, " a group of four low-income apartment buildings in the southeast corner of the city. "They just sit there, waiting.""

"In recent months, a new logo has appeared: "City Towing." The city attorney's office confirmed to Mission Local that Badillo and Fuentes no longer have a permit to tow in San Francisco. City Attorney David Chiu in February of 2024 signed an order of debarment prohibiting the couple and their past three companies (Auto Towing, Speciality Towing and Jose's Towing) from contracting with the city."

Jose Vicente Badillo faces up to 20 years in prison on charges of plotting to set competitors' tow trucks on fire, welfare fraud with his wife Abigail Fuentes, and illegally towing vehicles across San Francisco and other cities. The couple allegedly placed fake "no parking" signs on private lots and towed every vehicle there, targeting areas populated mainly by Spanish and Cantonese speakers. In one incident they attempted to tow a car stopped at an intersection with the driver still inside; that attempt was captured on video. Tenants report nearly nightly unmarked tow-truck activity around 2 a.m., and the city attorney debarred the couple and their former companies from contracting with the city and revoked their permit, though the couple may still be towing under a different name.

Read at Mission Local