Daniel Dingel Water Powered Car Inventor gets 20 years for ‘swindling’

The technology is NOT invalidated by this court action.

“Daniel Dingel, 82-year-old inventor of a “water-powered car,” has been convicted of “estafa” [swindling] and sentenced to a maximum of 20 years imprisonment by the Parañaque City Regional Trial Court. The court also ordered him to pay $380,000 in actual damages. Dingel, who has never revealed the secret to his invention, which he began in 1969, questioned the verdict but said he did not mind going to jail at his age. As of late Friday, he remained at large. Dingel was found guilty of taking $410,000 from Dr. John Ding Young of Formosa Plastics Group, a Taiwanese company, which gave it to him as research and development funds. The decision, written by Judge Rolando How of the court’s Branch 257 and released on Dec. 9, said Dingel defrauded Young when the inventor failed to fulfill his obligation of developing his “hydrogen reactor” and creating experimental cars in 2000. The unique device — a “hydrogen reactor” resembling a 12-volt battery — impressed the Taiwanese when Dingel demonstrated how it powered and fueled the car’s engine. They were also told that fuel from water had clean emissions as it did not produce carbon the way gasoline did. After receiving the money ($300,000) by wire transfer, Dingel avoided replying to his emails on the progress of the project and instead sent copies of letters from other foreign investors offering Dingel larger sums of money. Young said he kept his end of the bargain by sending another $60,000 in additional funds for R&D as stated in the joint venture agreement. He said it was then that Dingel began ignoring his communications. He said he sent demand letters for the return of $410,000 were but Dingel did not give the amount back. Instead of returning the money, Dingel withdrew $375,603.89 from his bank account and left only $500. “He admitted withdrawing the money after learning that a suit had been filed against him,” it said. “His act of immediately withdrawing the money indicated bad faith on his part.” – Source