Bernie Moreno’s company used employees, former associates to pose for ‘customer testimonials’

Bernie Moreno, the Republican nominee for Senate in Ohio, is facing scrutiny regarding his career as a luxury car salesman. Multiple testimonials featured prominently throughout Moreno’s websites are provided by current and former employees, as discovered in a Heartland Signal review of Moreno’s businesses. These testimonials, both videos and written reviews that praise the customer service and convenience of Moreno’s dealerships, have raised concerns about transparency and the authenticity of those endorsements.

In an October 2017 testimonial, real estate agent Sabah Hamed praised Infiniti of Akron for its valet service, stating that she had purchased all her vehicles there due to the convenience it offered. In the video posted on the dealership’s YouTube page, Hamed (credited as “Sabah Hamad”) highlighted how the dealership’s valet service brings a loaner car to her and takes her vehicle in for service, allowing her to continue her day without interruption. Hamed’s public LinkedIn page shows that between March 2015 and August 2016, she worked as the director of administration for Bernie Moreno Companies.

Another customer, Garrett Blaha, praised the service at Moreno’s Mercedes-Benz of North Olmsted in a testimonial from 2018 posted on the Bernie Moreno Companies YouTube page. He introduces himself as “a customer at Mercedes-Benz for about 10 years.” However, Blaha was a former sales consultant at one of Moreno’s Mercedes-Benz dealerships, according to an abandoned but public LinkedIn page that matches Blaha’s name and education background. In a 2012 Cars.com review of the dealership, Blaha is mentioned as personally selling a car to the reviewer. Blaha did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Josh Halpern, a first-year associate at a Cleveland law firm, shared his positive experience with Moreno’s dealerships in an August 2021 testimonial for the Mercedes-Benz dealership. Introducing himself as “a first-year associate at a law firm in downtown Cleveland,” Halpern praised the dealership’s valet and concierge services, which visits his downtown Cleveland apartment for tasks like car washes and paperwork. He also mentioned the personalized relationships he’s built with the dealership, adding that everyone there knows him by name. Yet, the testimonial does not mention Halpern was a former sales intern at Infiniti of Beachwood, according to an abandoned but public LinkedIn profile that matches Halpern’s name and background. He did not respond to a request for comment.

An additional review from December 2016 shows an alleged customer named Marlon Redmond. He says that while he was working security for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Moreno personally sold him a Mercedes CLS. Marlon was later hired at Moreno’s North Olmsted dealership and was even featured in a Mercedes-Benz of North Olmsted video as a brand consultant.

In another review from December 2016, one individual, whom Heartland Signal has decided to leave anonymous, praised Moreno’s Buick and GMC dealership in Beachwood for delivering a Buick Envision directly to their workplace and even programming their garage door to the vehicle. However, despite their glowing review, the customer later admitted that they were a sales representative and had never actually purchased a car from the dealership, according to documents provided to Heartland Signal. Moreno has also repeatedly denied selling the Chinese-made Buick Envision, even though multiple dealerships have sold the model for years. 

Moreno’s campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment about the questionable testimonials.

With several of the testimonials coming from individuals with direct or indirect ties to Bernie Moreno Companies, concerns remain about the transparency of the reviews and the ethics of using such testimonials to promote his dealerships. He has faced scrutiny for the more than 50 lawsuits he faced, for refusing to pay his employees overtime and for false statements about his record selling the Chinese-made Buick Envision.