Connecticut Dealer Arrested in Connection with Sale for Private Owner

June 08, 2012

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HAMDEN, Conn. — A Connecticut independent dealer believes charges of larceny, forgery and misapplication of property will be dismissed in connection with selling a vehicle for a private owner.

Earlier this week, police in Hamden, Conn., arrested David Taylor, the owner of Bernardo Motors. According to a law enforcement statement and a newspaper report, the action stems from Taylor looking to sell a 2005 BMW 645i convertible for Timothy Costa of Bristol, Conn.

Police said Taylor allegedly agreed to sell the vehicle in exchange for a small monetary fee. An investigation revealed two days after the agreement, Taylor sold the vehicle for approximately $40,000 and the dealer allegedly deposited the proceeds of the sale into his bank account.

Furthermore, police said Taylor allegedly refrained from paying the seller his share from the sale, as well as failed to pay off the seller's loan.

In addition, Hamden Police Capt. Ronald Smith said Taylor provided the individual who purchased the vehicle with a falsified Connecticut registration. Smith contends Taylor could not properly register the vehicle because he didn't pay the existing loan and didn't have access to the title.

According to a report in the New Haven Register, Taylor indicated he has fully paid off Costa's loan to Regional Acceptance Corp.

"I should have paid it sooner but a former employee embezzled money," Taylor told the newspaper earlier this week, adding the former employee now is in prison.

As a result, Taylor said in the newspaper report that had to pay off the loan with his own funds.

"I had to pick up the slack and pay $35,000 out of my own pocket. There's no money owed to him," Taylor said of Costa in the report. "I got caught in the cross-fire."

Hamden Police arrested Taylor and charged him with larceny in the first degree, forgery in the first degree and misapplication of property. Taylor, who was released on a written promise to appear, is scheduled to appear in court in Meriden on June 18.

Taylor insisted to the Connecticut newspaper that his case will be thrown out of court.

"It should have been a civil issue. Everything will get overturned. There was no larceny or forgery. There should never have been an arrest," Taylor told the Register.

Meanwhile, Costa stressed in the newspaper account that he waited for months for proceeds from Taylor and to this date, neither he nor Regional Acceptance have been fully paid.

"The car is titled to me. It belongs to me," Costa told the newspaper. "It's frustrating to be lied to."

The statement from Hamden Police can be found here. The newspaper report on the incident can be found here.

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