Leader Of Criminal Tow Truck And Auto Repair Company Sentenced To 19 Years In Prison For Murder

 

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced that CHRISTIAN LUGO, a/k/a “Coco,” was sentenced to 19 years in prison for LUGO’s leadership role in a racketeering conspiracy that used fraud and violent intimidation to run a tow truck and auto repair shop known as Certified Auto.  On February 7, 2022, LUGO allowed and encouraged a co-conspirator who worked for him at Certified Auto to shoot at members of a rival tow truck company, which resulted in the death of Gloria Ortiz.  In August 2025, LUGO pled guilty to racketeering conspiracy and firearms offenses, while admitting to his role in the murder, before U.S. District Judge Dale E. Ho, who imposed this sentence. 

“As Christian Lugo has now admitted, his rivalry with other tow truck companies set in motion a deadly chain of events, which caused a broad daylight shooting, killing Gloria Ortiz,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.  “Lugo used a gun to further his tow truck business, itself part of a criminal enterprise.  His actions led to the murder of a woman.  He is now where New Yorkers want him—off the streets and in prison.” 

According to the indictment, public court filings, and statements made at court proceedings:

LUGO, along with others, corrupted the operations and activities of Certified Auto, which was a company that provided towing and auto repair services to vehicles damaged in car accidents.  LUGO and his co-conspirators used Certified Auto to commit wire, mail, and insurance fraud and to assert control over the towing and auto repair industry in their territory in the Bronx, New York, using violence and threats of violence.

LUGO had a rivalry with a nearby tow truck shop owned by Gloria Ortiz.  On February 7, 2022, one of Lugo’s tow truck drivers got into a minor car accident while driving one of LUGO’s pickup trucks (illegally used as a tow truck) with a passenger vehicle in Ortiz’s shop’s claimed territory, resulting in a physical dispute with workers for that shop over the right to tow the passenger vehicle. LUGO then contacted another subordinate member of Certified Auto (“CC-1”) to pick up the driver, after which they all met up with LUGO.  At that meeting, LUGO allowed and permitted CC-1 to shoot at members of the rival company. Specifically, during that conversation, LUGO told CC-1 “are you going to take care of it or am I?” and CC-1 stated that CC-1 would do so.  CC-1 then drove to Certified Auto, where Gloria Ortiz and her workers had gathered. CC-1 opened fire, causing the death of Gloria Ortiz and nonfatal injuries to two other people outside of the Certified Auto shop.

In addition to the prison term, LUGO, 38, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced to six years of supervised release. 

Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of Special Agents from the FBI New York Safe Streets Task Force and the New York City Police Department.  Mr. Clayton also thanked the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance in the investigation.