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A New Jersey man did his part late last month to corrupt the image of used-car dealers.
Even worse, he wasn't even a used-car dealer.
Instead, James M. Maltese, 33, of Middletown Township, was posing as a dealer when he listed a 1999 Dodge Durango on the Craigslist classified Web site.
Middletown Township police say Maltese obtained the junked sports utility vehicle from a friend who was suppose to be towing the vehicle.
Failing to mention its current condition, Maltese listed the vehicle for about around $3,000. Authorities later discovered the actual value to be around $150 based on the original bill of sale that Lt. John MaGuire tracked down from the original owner. That owner told authorities she junked the SUV because it needed a new head gasket and it would have cost too much money to fix.
Seeing what they thought was a good deal on Craigslist, a couple from Delaware traveled to New Jersey and purchased the SUV for $2,995 from Maltese.
The Durango didn't make it far.
MaGuire came upon the couple suffering car trouble and quickly discovered what had happened through tracking down the original owner.
“The car was in such poor shape they didn't even get out of Middletown,” said Detective Lt. Joseph Capriotti.
Maltese, who claimed to be a car dealer, issued the couple a fake temporary license plate and never informed the buyers of the car's mechanical problems, Capriotti said, adding that Maltese surrendered to police and refunded the couple's money that same night.
“They were very happy to get their money back,” he said.
Capriotti, who said this is the first offense like this he's seen, said investigators seized a computer believed to be used in making the fake vehicle documents. Maltese was released pending a future court appearance.
He said the department won't be contacting Craigslist about the incident.
Maltese was charged Friday, Jan. 29 with theft by deception, producing false motor vehicle documents and representing himself as a dealer when he was without a license, said Capriotti.
Although Capriotti said it's unlikely that Maltese will serve jail time, Maltese faces up to five years behind bars.
Maltese was released and is awaiting his court appearance. |
