Count’s Kustoms Lawsuit: Mustang Suit and Frontiera Embezzlement

The Count’s Kustoms lawsuit history is short and two-sided: the Las Vegas shop made famous by History Channel’s Counting Cars was sued in 2014 by a customer over a $50,000 Mustang restoration that allegedly never happened, and it later sued a former employee, Joseph Frontiera, accusing him of embezzling more than $75,000. Owner Danny “The Count” Koker has not personally been charged with a crime or found liable in either matter.

The Hurt Family’s Mustang Restoration Suit

In 2014, Jeanette and Paul Hurt filed a complaint in Clark County Court seeking a $50,000 refund from Count’s Kustoms. They said they had agreed in June 2013 to pay the shop $11,000 for a 1967 Ford Mustang Coupe and $39,000 for labor to rebuild it, with the full $50,000 paid up front.¹

According to the complaint, a shop employee named Scott Jones told the couple the rebuild would be featured on Counting Cars and that the show’s producers would add $20,000 in funding. When the Hurts visited the shop in October 2013, they said no work had been done. They also alleged the car they had been supplied was not a 1967 Mustang Coupe but a different model worth closer to $30,000.¹

By August 2013, Jones no longer worked at Count’s Kustoms. The Hurts said the shop initially agreed to refund them but then went silent. Their attorney, Jason J. Bach, filed suit for the full $50,000. Jones was not named as a defendant, and the available record does not show how the case ultimately resolved.¹

The Frontiera Embezzlement Case

The larger legal fight was one Count’s Kustoms started. On March 22, 2016, the shop sued Joseph Frontiera, a former employee hired in June 2013, alleging he had stolen more than $75,000 in company funds and used the money for personal expenses, including a down payment on a Land Rover Range Rover and personal airline tickets.²

The suit alleged Frontiera had signature stamps made for Danny Koker and co-owner Kevin Mack and used them to sign checks without their knowledge or consent. It also claimed he failed to pay the company’s taxes on time, triggering an IRS penalty of roughly $18,000.²

The Criminal Warrant

Separately, Frontiera was charged in Las Vegas Justice Court in September 2015 with one count of felony theft of more than $3,500, based on conduct allegedly occurring in August 2013. A warrant was issued but never served because Frontiera had moved to Florida. As of the last available reporting in late 2017, the warrant was still outstanding, and the available sources do not show that he was arrested, extradited, tried, or convicted on the charge.²

The Staffing Firm Countersuit

Count’s Kustoms also named Randstad Professionals, the staffing firm that had placed Frontiera at the shop, alleging Randstad failed to disclose his prior employment history, which purportedly included earlier embezzlement and fraud charges in Florida. Randstad countersued, arguing the claims lacked factual support and pointing to its contract with Count’s Kustoms, which explicitly prohibited Frontiera from handling cash or transferring funds. After a settlement conference before a federal magistrate judge in September 2016, the two sides settled on undisclosed terms.³

How the Civil Case Ended

The civil case was filed in Clark County District Court and then removed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada. Frontiera moved to dismiss in May 2016; in July 2016 the court dismissed one claim and let the rest proceed. Federal docket records show the case was terminated on April 3, 2019. No public trial verdict is reflected, and the terms of any resolution are not in the public record. Frontiera did not file a counterclaim.³

Is Danny Koker Personally in Legal Trouble?

No. Despite recurring internet speculation about criminal charges or a prison sentence, there is no credible evidence that Danny Koker has personally been prosecuted or found liable in any lawsuit connected to his business. The Hurt matter named the shop as a defendant, and the Frontiera matter had the shop as plaintiff. Koker remains the owner and public face of Count’s Kustoms.⁴

1
Courthouse News Service. Couple Alleges Fraud by TV Show’s Mechanics
2
Las Vegas Review-Journal. Las Vegas Auto Shop With Reality TV Show Claims Ex-Employee Stole $75,000
3
CourtListener. Count’s Kustoms, LLC v. Frontiera, 2:16-cv-00910
4
HotCars. Danny Koker From Counting Cars: What Happened to His Career