Police have filed new charges against two men who were arrested last week in an elaborate moneymaking scheme at city tow pound auctions.

Donald Matthew Tollan, 56, and his son, Donald Mathias Tollan, 29, were charged yesterday with identity theft and conspiracy, police said, for falsely representing themselves as buyers for McGann and Chester Auto Sales in Carrick at the auctions.

William Chester Jr., president of the company, said last week that neither Mr. Tollan nor his sons have ever worked for him.

Police said the men would regularly attend city auctions, place high bids for vehicles and then present bid slips with much lower dollar amounts. Poplice said Michael Livingstone, 35, a performance auditor for the city, was at the helm of the scheme, recording the winning bid prices on the slips. The ruse went on for months and cost the city more than $17,500, police said.

Mr. Livingstone has been charged with conspiracy, theft by deception and 22 counts of misapplication of government property. Also charged in the scam are Donald Matthew Tollan Jr., 38, Sean Matthew Tollan, 28, and their friend, Edward Freiberger, 32, of McKees Rocks.

The elder Mr. Tollan and Donald Mathias Tollan were scheduled to be arraigned on the new charges last night in Municipal Court.

First Published: December 23, 2008, 5:00 a.m.