Clayton Thom, owner of the bankrupt luxury car dealership CNC Motors in Upland, has been hit with 37 counts of grand theft and one count of elder theft. Prosecutors argue he embezzled over $4 million from 35 clients by agreeing to put their cars on consignment but instead pocketing the money when the car was sold.
Thom’s business manager, Valera Tanaka, was charged with 13 counts of tax fraud.
Both defendants pleaded not guilty Oct. 31.
Thom has been accused of running a scam since at least 2021. The luxury-car YouTuber Daniel Hurlbert ran a 22-video series on CNC Motors on his YouTube channel Normal
