Court Date Set for US Fidelis Owners

A court date has been set for Cory and Darain Atkinson, the owners of US Fidelis, the Wentzville-based extended vehicle warranty company.

Both brothers are due in court on Friday, Aug. 26 for a pre-trial hearing. The Atkinsons were arraigned last Wednesday on charges of stealing, insurance fraud and unlawful merchandising practices in  Circuit Court.

US Fidelis was headquartered in , in what used to be Belz Factory Outlet Mall.

Darain Atkinson, 46, faces 14 charges. Cory Atkinson, 41, faces 13 charges.

Both men are being charged as prior offenders—Darain as a result of 1986 convictions of theft, forgery and burglary in Kansas and a 1987 conviction of manufacturing counterfeit Federal Reserve notes, and Cory as a result of a 1997 felony criminal trespass conviction from Colorado.

According to the indictments, the Atkinsons and their company sold vehicle repair coverage under both vehicle extended service contracts and contracts associated with various vehicle products.

The indictments allege that the Atkinsons:

• Kept refunds that were due consumers
• Charged fees in excess of the amount stated in the contract
• Told consumers they would get a pro rata refund if they canceled the contract, while intending to keep a portion of the refund.

Jim Judge, director of charity information service for the St. Louis Better Business Bureau, recently explained how consumers can avoid extended warranty scams.