Larry Carmean can never be accused of doing it small
Source: editor@cslea.com
Date: 2/5/2010
If convicted, Larry Carmean, 61, can never be accused of doing it small. The numbers in the allegations against him are impressive:
- $1.6 million defrauded Chrysler Financial in new car inventory
- $1.3 million in embezzlement and grand theft of customers
- $750,000 defrauded Chrysler Financial in used car inventory
- $132,000 in used car inventory to AFC Financial
- 92 transactions with possible violations
- 45 customers potentially victimized
- 35 felony charges
All of this from two Dodge dealerships in sleepy little El Dorado County.
But for Carmean, and his former general manager, John Catalano, 38, the game is over. On Jan. 29, DMV investigators and investigators from the El Dorado County District Attorney's Office arrested Carmean and Catalano.
"The motive here seems to be just pure, unadulterated greed," El Dorado County District Attorney investigator Bill Dillard told the Mountain Democrat newspaper. "You just trust your dealership to pay off trade-ins."
Customers like Jason Conant told Channel 13 in Sacramento that he expects his credit rating to be shot for eight to 10 years. "Conant traded in his old truck for another one at Carmean Dodge in Shingle Springs in 2008, the dealership promised to pay off the $11,800 on his hold truck. But nine months later his credit was ruined and he started getting calls from collections," according to Channel 13's Web site. "It turns out Carmean Dodge shut down before paying off Jason's loan. He's now on the hook for both trucks. His bank wants $360 a month for a truck he doesn't have anymore."
Richard Carrillo, president of the Association of Motor Vehicle Investigators of California, praised the work Sacramento-based DMV Investigators Daniel Cawley and Eric Cook did in bringing the 18-month investigation of Carmean and Catalano to a successful end. "DMV Investigators Cawley and Cook and D.A. Investigator Dillard not only brought these two operators to justice, but in doing so helped restore some of the trust consumers place in auto dealers. Many people forget this side of the equation. Without DMV investigators protecting the system, honest auto dealers could not stay in business."
DMV Employee Arrested
Carrillo also gave a tip of the hat to AMVIC-member investigators in the DMV Internal Affairs office for their arrest of Karcius Duvel Jamison after a six-month investigation that led to charges of waiving driving tests, fraudulently issuing driver licenses, and illegally accessing DMV computers.
A 10-year employee, Jamison worked at the Hawthorne Field Office and has admitted getting paid $200 to $300 per transaction. "Jamison is also accused of entering passing test scores and waiving drive tests using fictitious out-of-state driver license numbers," according to a DMV press release.
The first link below goes to the Mountain Democrat story on the Carmean bust. The second to a Channel 3 report on it, and the third link to the Channel 13 report.
For more information:
http://search.mtdemocrat.com/display.php?id=55922
http://www.kcra.com/news/22376574/detail.html
http://cbs13.com/breakingnews/carmean.dodge.arrest.2.1457834.html
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