The Downtown News reports that Sohrab Sahab, the parking lot king who owns downtown's ubiquitous Prestige Parking, faces 150 years in prison following his conviction yesterday of tax fraud charges. According to the Downtown News, Sahab, 47, was found guilty of “295 criminal counts for pocketing an estimated $400,000 in taxes owed to the city.” Sahab is due to be sentenced August 14.

In 2007 the L.A. Times reported that Prestige, which operates 29 lots citywide, was ordered to pay $238,000 in unpaid rents. Many of the city's private parking lots have long operated as a semi-regulated frontier and have often drawn complaints about their complicity with unscrupulous towing companies. Still, the many charges filed in Superior Court against Prestige reveal a breathtaking disregard for the city's authority.

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.