From ABC
STATEMENT OF JOSEPH DONO TO ABC ACTION NEWS:
To whom this may concern.
I'll date this back 3 1/2 years ago when I first had brought my car to Jap Works to get body work done on my car, I had a invoice given to me for the amount of 1,500$ dollars.
2 weeks after I paid 1,200 dollars 2 1/2 months gone by and it was always a reason why my car wasn't done yet. I decided thats it I'm getting my car done or not, I show up and my car wasn't done and is in pieces. We called the Ocala PD, they told us that its a cilvil matter.
After I went home that night Aaron the shop owners found dirt on me from when I was 17 years old, used that against me to make me look like a complete fool.
I can't defend my self against thousands of internet viewers who made there assumption of who I am based off of Jap Works outlook.
I was out of the 1,200 dollars paid to Jap works I was out of my 16,000 dollar car and yet I'm told I am the scam artist... Seems like Jap works made a bill of any amount to keep me from having my car. Weeks after I've made them a offer of 6,000 dollars they refused it and kept claiming they would own the car one day. 1 week before Tampa Credit union had taken the car back I made a 6,000 dollar offer again to release my car and the owner Aaaron had said the co-owner will not settle for nothing less then "16,000 dollars" and is being a "dick" about budging on pricing.
From that day forward I gave up on getting my car, I currently to this day am paying off a 16,000 dollar car I do not have.... Who was scammed? My creditability on the internet? The 1,200 I gave to the shop,This now brings me to the current date and forever more... My name is dirt on the internet and there isn't anything that will change this. I'm a victim here and I don't expect anyone to believe me. However I've given up on trying to get people to believe my side of the story, I've lost many friends over this and for a long time I really hide from the internet because of what was being said and now I've learned to live with what is being said because what is on the internet isn't true and deep down anyone who knows me, knows that its not true. People who have made death threats, harassed my self and my family are ignorant people.
I don't know what to say or the words to say it because bottom line there isn't anything I can change this. Anyone who reads anything online is so easy to cry wolf. I was contacted by a detective months ago about someone sending me 1,800 $ cash to my house and never received anything, later black mailing me to send him 1,000 dollars or he will not drop charges. I had to buy into his demands and from now on I no longer receive mail or packages to my home. I've lost a lot, but I have gained so much from this experience.