The Strangest Batmobile Quest and the Corruption Controversy It Started Are at an End

The case first made headlines at the end of last month, though the raid in question had taken place two weeks prior. Sam Anagnostou, who lives in Atherton, California, ordered a $210,000 Batmobile replica from Indiana-based Fiberglass Freaks, the only shop in the world licensed by DC Comics to build ‘60s Batmobile replicas.

Fiberglass Freaks are pretty famous, and the fact that they’re licensed by DC is only part of the reason. They build gorgeous, very cool replicas of the Batmobile, as seen in the original series, integrating some of the key features of the vehicle, like the flamethrower, the detecta-scope, or the shining beacon light. At $200,000+ a pop, they’re pretty neat collectibles, and the shop is shipping them all over the world.

Anagnostou ordered his and paid for it in installments. Then, he missed a payment of $20,000 and couldn’t be contacted for nine months, so the shop moved his order to the bottom of the list, which would have meant a delay of up to two years in delivery. His car would still be built, but it was no longer a priority.

After trying to file a police report and then sue the shop in Indiana, and with both attempts proving unsuccessful, Anagnostou went to the San Mateo County Sheriff Carlos Bolanos and, according to Dan Noyes’ investigation for ABC7 Chicago, asked him to raid the place. Bolanos dispatched four officers across the country to raid the shop, arrest the owner, and retrieve Anagnostou’s file. Mark Racop, the owner of the shop, ended up being charged in California with two felonies and was supposed to be arraigned on August 19.

The arraignment hearing has been canceled, and the San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe is looking into dropping the case, Noyes reports in an update. Put it simply, the ABC7 report got the DA to look into the situation, and the excessive display of manpower for what is ultimately a civil case in Indiana, and his conclusion seems to point to “something’s not right.”

As you can see in the video below, Wagstaffe stops short of saying the Sheriff did the rich dude’s dirty bidding by raiding the car shop, but that seems to be the implication. The original report is also below.

This update is clearly a step in the right direction, but it’s far from the end. Anagnostou claims he’s the victim of fraud, while the Sheriff remains on vacation as the case is under internal review. Still, it’s proof not all hope is lost in humanity. Batman himself would be happy with the outcome.