By Shereen Siewert
State officials are investigating multiple complaints against a Schofield auto dealer accused of pocketing title and registration fees paid by consumers and failing to file title paperwork with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
The doors at Muski Auto Country, 291 Grand Ave., Schofield, are now locked and the company’s phone has been disconnected. Muski’s Facebook page and website have also been shut down. The dealer’s owner, Michael “Mick” Sadowski, purchased the dealership in May 2015, according to state records. The dealership catered to customers with poor or no credit.
An official complaint was filed in July after seven separate customers notified the DOT that they had purchased vehicles from Sadowski but their registrations were never processed, and they never received license plates. The purchases date as far back as February, according to files obtained by Wausau Pilot and Review.
DOT investigators spoke with Sadowski, who admitted he had not processed the paperwork and said he did not have the means to process them, according to state documents. As a result, state officials issued a bond claim against Muski Auto Country. A motor vehicle dealer bond claim is a complaint filed when dealers fail to fulfill obligations or respect the rules and regulations defined by state or federal laws. Motor vehicle dealer bond claims are understood to be “intentional violations,” according to the DOT.
Muski Auto Country no longer appears in the DOT’s list of licensed Wisconsin auto dealers.
An Oct. 10 legal notice published in the Wausau Daily Herald notifies other customers with potential claims against the dealer to contact John Remy, DMV/Dealer Section, P.O. Box 7909 Madison, WI 53707-7909, to submit the appropriate claim paperwork. The deadline for submitting claims is December 9.
