The Quickshift
- Ducati of Detroit has been under investigation by the Michigan Department of State for multiple violations since 2017
- The dealership's business license was officially revoked by the state at the beginning of August 2024
- The state of Michigan found multiple violations, which Ducati of Detroit agreed to, including forgery of customer signatures on applications for vehicle titles and registrations
- Under the terms of the business license revocation, Ducati of Detroit cannot apply for a new business license or have another party do so
Motorcycle dealerships are a lot like people. Some of them are cool, but others unfortunately live up to the 'stealership' cliche a little better than anyone wishes they would.
After a multi-year investigation by the Michigan Department of State (MDOS), it appears that CK Investments LLC, doing business as Ducati of Detroit was unfortunately one of the latter.
The dealership had its business license revoked by the state at the beginning of August due to committing multiple fraudulent acts, including having "knowingly forged purchasers' signatures on Application for Michigan Title and Registration forms provided to MDOS."
Yikes.
According to the Michigan Department of State's Voluntary Revocation Agreement for Ducati of Detroit, which is dated August 3, 2024, the dealership admitted to several violations, including:
- collecting sales tax at vehicle full price from customers, then altering paperwork to make it appear that vehicles were sold at a lower price so they could pay less tax to the state
- changing the delivery date on the Application for Michigan Title and Registration forms presented to MDOS to avoid late fees
- failing to apply for title and registration in the names of vehicle purchasers within 21 days after purchase
- issuing temporary vehicle registration on a different date than the one the vehicle was delivered, and more
That's on top of the aforementioned fact that the dealership knowingly forged purchaser's signatures on Applications for Michigan Title and Registration, which seems particularly egregious.
The MDOS investigation into Ducati of Detroit began in 2017 after a former employee of the dealership filed a complaint. The investigation revealed subsequent violations, resulting in citations against the dealership dating back seven years.
Ducati of Detroit agreed to the Voluntary Revocation Agreement sent by MDOS in August 2024. As a result, it admitted to seven separate Michigan Vehicle Code violations and also waived its right to a hearing regarding these matters.
In addition to having its business license revoked, Ducati of Detroit has been hit with a fine of $53,310.02 to reimburse MDOS for investigation, inspection, and admin costs. It's possible that the dealership could ultimately owe additional money since the document specifically says that it doesn't include any money owed to the Michigan Department of Treasury or any other State of Michigan departments.
One of the other stipulations in this Agreement is that Ducati of Detroit will not apply for a vehicle dealer license with the State after this agreement was signed, nor engage another person to act on its behalf to obtain a new business license.
At the time of writing, the Ducati Detroit (no 'of' in its name, though it's in the legal documents from MDOS) webpage is still active. Furthermore, it says the store in Birmingham, Michigan is currently Open. From the company's social media presences on Instagram and Facebook, you also wouldn't know that anything had changed.
There's even a post from earlier today about an upcoming track day planned on Monday, August 19, 2024, for which registrations are still apparently open.
Since MDOS states that "the revocation was implemented on August 7, 2024," it's not clear how any of this works. The track day at Mid-Ohio is presented by Ducati Revs, so it's likely that Ducati Detroit is simply promoting another Ducati event.
According to the Ducati Detroit webpage, though, it's also currently hiring new employees. Interested parties may, however, want to take this all with a whole sack full of salt since the business currently has no license to operate in the state of Michigan.
Can another licensee swoop in and operate a better Ducati dealership to serve the riders of Michigan? We'll keep you posted with any updates.
