Yanni got $102,000 for a classic Porsche

Poway resident Philip Yanni is a software entrepreneur and a classic car enthusiast, who sat on the board of the Riverside International Automotive Museum until it closed in 2016. Over the Internet, he sold a 1971 Porsche 911s to a wealthy Englishman, Timothy Andrew Roper. Yanni said the car was in good condition.

According to a fraud suit filed March 7 in federal court, Roper says Yanni is a bit of a fibber. “It was immediately apparent that the car had been involved in a major frontal collision,” says Roper’s suit. The damaged car “was in effect an insurance write-off that had been superficially repaired.” Roper thinks the collision might have taken place after the car had been reportedly restored. Roper wants three times compensatory damages of $142,000.

Yanni initially responded to Roper’s complaints, but then stopped replying, says the suit. I tried to reach Yanni by phone and email, but got no response.