Famous Ferrari mechanic charged with theft and fraud

If you’re planning on having Donnie Callaway work on your Ferrari, it might be time to come up with a backup plan.

The California-based mechanic, who became known in automotive circles for his work on vintage Cavallinos and other Italian sports cars, was arrested in Arizona earlier this month, Bloomberg reports. The 60-year-old is accused of theft, trafficking in stolen goods, forgery and fraud.

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Callaway was booked into the Lower Buckeye Jail in Maricopa County on Monday, April 1. The news outlet reports that the mechanic was involved in a “sting operation” orchestrated by an unnamed collector who suspected Callaway was not the legal owner of the Ferrari Daytona and 512BB he was trying to sell. He is being held on $400,000 bail. His arraignment is scheduled for April 17, and his trial is scheduled to begin on August 14.

Callaway’s arrest and detention is likely to come as a shock to U.S. Ferrari fans familiar with his work. The mechanic, who works and lives in an airplane hangar north of Los Angeles in Lancaster, California, has become a celebrity in the community in recent years, thanks in part to the support of well-known car enthusiasts such as Jay Leno and Matt Farah. His numerous social media posts of the cars he works on and the lifestyle his success has afforded him have also contributed to his notoriety.

“His work is beyond reproach,” Farah told Bloomberg earlier this month. “He paid me a fair price for his excellent work.”

Leno and Farah may have had good experiences dealing with Callaway, but there are some Ferrari fans who have not. The mechanic was accused of taking advantage of some customers even before his arrest. An anonymous Instagram account was set up earlier this month, calling Callaway a “fraudster” and posting his mugshot and details of the case.

This isn’t Callway’s first experience with the courts or the legal system, either. According to Bloomberg, he has been charged with theft and fraud multiple times over the decades and has multiple criminal records dating back to 2001. He also currently has several court cases pending against him, including one accusing him of trying to sell a Ferrari Monza that didn’t belong to him and another accusing him of unfair business practices, breach of contract and fraud.

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