BUFFALO - Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the filing of felony charges against Laurence Sessum III, owner of Maxx Auto Sales, a now defunct dealership that ripped off Western New Yorkers. To protect Sessum's customers, Schneiderman also filed a civil lawsuit against Sessum and obtained an order freezing his assets. Sessum is accused of taking more than $100,000 in payments from dozens of consumers for vehicles he never delivered. It is believed that Sessum collected the payments from consumers to raise money to make restitution for a previous conviction. Prior to the Attorney General's investigation, Sessum was prosecuted by the Erie County District Attorney for a separate crime. In that case, he pleaded guilty to stealing more than $500,000 from the New York State Tax Department. In order to avoid jail time, the court informed Sessum that if he paid $50,000 in restitution, the court would be inclined to give him probat...