WASHINGTON — The District of Columbia will close 23 used-car dealerships citywide and revoke the licenses of 303 salespeople after a sweep led by Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Acting Attorney General Peter J. Nickles, according to the Washington Post. The dealerships in question are alleged to have operated as nothing more than storage lots for vehicles bound for sale outside the city.

"The neighborhoods and commercial corridors of the District will no longer be dumping grounds for dangerous vehicles that, according to our findings, were never intended to be sold in the District," Fenty said.

Linda K. Argo, director of the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, said her department investigated 106 locations and found that only one was operating within city laws. She told the Post that many licensed dealers in the District have never sold a vehicle.

Several of the lots' owners disagree. Alex Akinola, owner of Citi Motors, said he was unaware of any illegal activity at his dealership. "We have not made any violations here," Akinola told the Post. "We have sales records."

Sammy Agbaosi, owner of Sammy Auto Sales, who also stored cars on the Citi Motors lot, said he was unaware of any violations involving him or Citi Motors.

"We have been taking cars to auctions in D.C. and Maryland," Agbaosi said. "I know I'm not doing anything wrong."

The full text of the Washington Post article can be found here.