(KRON) -- Two people involved with an Oakland-based towing company were convicted of towing vehicles from private properties, the Alameda County District Attorney's Office said. Private Property Impound, Inc. (PPI) towed thousands of Alameda County residents' vehicles, DA Pamela Price said. PPI, Wayne Daniel Russo, Jr., 37, and Stephanie Marie Gipson, 36, pled no contest to one misdemeanor count of illegally towing vehicles from private properties. Benicia refinery fined $82M over cancer-causing emissions The defendants will have to pay almost $500,000 in restitution to victims whose cars were towed. They are also forced to pay $75,000 for hiring a firm to contact victims and have already paid $333,000 to the California Franchise Tax Board. The county plans to contact 8,000 potential victims. “Illegal towing disproportionately affects our community’s most vulnerable residents, for whom the family car can be a lifeline to attend work, get their kids to school, and seek medical care," Price said. The DA's office's investigation into the towing company was launched after a 2018 article by the East Bay Express, which claimed more than 12 lawsuits had been brought against PPI. The DA's office charged the case in 2020, and it sat dormant until 2023. Russo received a 90-day jail sentence that he can serve at home with electrical monitoring. Gipson received 90 days of probation and 50 hours of community service.