49 U.S.C. § 33115 — Civil penalties and enforcement

(a) General Penalty and Civil Actions To Collect. If you violate section 33114(a)(1) through (4) — the rules about selling non-conforming vehicles or parts, ignoring regulations, skipping recordkeeping, or filing bad certifications — you owe the government a civil penalty of up to $1,000 for each violation. If several parts on one vehicle fail to conform, that only counts as one violation. The most you can be fined for a related string of violations is $250,000. The Secretary of Transportation decides the penalty and can reduce ("compromise") it, and must weigh the size of your business and how serious the violation was. The Attorney General must sue you in federal district court to actually collect the penalty. The government can also subtract what you owe from any money it already owes you. (b) Chop Shop Penalty and Enforcement. If you violate section 33114(a)(5) — the chop shop rules — you owe up to $100,000 a day for each violation. Working with the Attorney General, the Secretary must either sue for a court order stopping you (a temporary or permanent injunction), collect the penalty described above, or do both. (c) Civil Actions To Enforce. The Attorney General may sue in federal district court to stop a violation of this chapter, or to stop the sale, delivery, or import of a vehicle or part that a review found does not conform to the standard, as long as that review happened before the vehicle or part was sold to its first buyer. Whenever practical, before suing the Secretary must notify the person involved, let them explain their side, and — unless the violation was intentional — give them a fair chance to fix the problem first. But if the Secretary skips these steps, a court can still grant relief. (d) Jury Trial Demand. If someone is tried for criminal contempt for violating a court order issued under (c), and that violation is also a violation of this chapter, they can demand a jury trial. The trial follows Rule 42(b) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. (e) Venue. A lawsuit under (a) or (c) can be filed where the violation happened, or where the defendant lives, is found, or does business. Legal papers can be served in any other district where the defendant lives or is found. A subpoena for a witness can be served anywhere in the country.