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08-12-2005, 03:11 PM
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scammer Car dealer admits fraud
By TIMOTHY O'CONNOR
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: August 12, 2005)
A classic car dealer faces up to four years in prison after admitting yesterday he sold a $36,000 car on behalf of the vehicle's owner and then pocketed the proceeds.
Frank Salerno, 52, of 25 McArthur Ave. in the Crestwood section of Yonkers, pleaded guilty in Westchester County Court to one count of first-degree scheme to defraud, a felony, District Attorney Jeanine Pirro said.
Salerno, who owns Ultimate Motors Inc. at 1716 Central Park Ave. in Yonkers, admitted he took possession of a 1969 Chevrolet Corvette convertible on consignment in December 2003. He sold the car in June 2004 to a Southampton resident for $36,000. But he never told the car's owner he sold the vehicle and never paid him the proceeds.
An investigation by the D.A.'s Office found Salerno had done the same thing to 12 other car owners. He agreed to pay $164,500 in restitution to the victims before his scheduled Dec. 8 sentencing.
Salerno was arrested Dec. 14 by Yonkers police and investigators from the D.A.'s Office. Police seized 12 cars from Ultimate Motors and Ultimate Auto Center, at 10 Paxton Ave. in Bronxville, which Salerno also owns.
Salerno was cleared in 1995 of all charges stemming from a federal investigation into illegal dumps allegedly run by members of the Lucchese crime family. Salerno, a nephew of reputed Lucchese captain Michael Salerno, was accused of being an associate of the crime family. Salerno was acquitted after a federal trial in U.S. District Court in White Plains. Three defendants were convicted in the case, including Alfred M. Christiansen, a former prosecutor in the Westchester District Attorney's office.
Salerno did not return calls seeking comment.
By TIMOTHY O'CONNOR
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: August 12, 2005)
A classic car dealer faces up to four years in prison after admitting yesterday he sold a $36,000 car on behalf of the vehicle's owner and then pocketed the proceeds.
Frank Salerno, 52, of 25 McArthur Ave. in the Crestwood section of Yonkers, pleaded guilty in Westchester County Court to one count of first-degree scheme to defraud, a felony, District Attorney Jeanine Pirro said.
Salerno, who owns Ultimate Motors Inc. at 1716 Central Park Ave. in Yonkers, admitted he took possession of a 1969 Chevrolet Corvette convertible on consignment in December 2003. He sold the car in June 2004 to a Southampton resident for $36,000. But he never told the car's owner he sold the vehicle and never paid him the proceeds.
An investigation by the D.A.'s Office found Salerno had done the same thing to 12 other car owners. He agreed to pay $164,500 in restitution to the victims before his scheduled Dec. 8 sentencing.
Salerno was arrested Dec. 14 by Yonkers police and investigators from the D.A.'s Office. Police seized 12 cars from Ultimate Motors and Ultimate Auto Center, at 10 Paxton Ave. in Bronxville, which Salerno also owns.
Salerno was cleared in 1995 of all charges stemming from a federal investigation into illegal dumps allegedly run by members of the Lucchese crime family. Salerno, a nephew of reputed Lucchese captain Michael Salerno, was accused of being an associate of the crime family. Salerno was acquitted after a federal trial in U.S. District Court in White Plains. Three defendants were convicted in the case, including Alfred M. Christiansen, a former prosecutor in the Westchester District Attorney's office.
Salerno did not return calls seeking comment.
