No charges against buyer of stolen Ferrari | FerrariChat

No charges against buyer of stolen Ferrari

Discussion in 'Vintage (thru 365 GTC4)' started by bitzman, Sep 24, 2009.

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  1. bitzman

    bitzman F1 Rookie
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    Feb 15, 2008
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    wallace wyss
    #1 bitzman, Sep 24, 2009
    I am still trying to follow the story of the stolen classic Ferrari
    that the police confiscated in Sharon, CN.

    Here's the story when it originally was confiscated from the NY Times

    http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/18/a-ferrari-is-seized-in-connecticut/?pagemode=print

    I gather the latest wrinkle is that the last buyer from whom it was confiscated won't be charged. Probably the next step will be for the original owner, way back when, to file a civil suit to recover the car.

    My question is: The car was not hidden. It was shown at various concours, so why didn't the judges in the category it was being judged in know it was a missing car? One Ferrari (non authorized) dealer told me "After 15 years, no one was looking for it."

    I come from the Cobra field where the serial numbers of missing Cobras are imbedded in most collector's minds. In fact, one stolen Cobra was taken to a car show and spotted by an enthusiast who knew his serial numbers and the "owner" had it confiscated, and that was after it had been missing for a similar time period.
     
  2. readplays

    readplays Formula 3

    Aug 22, 2008
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    Dave Powers
    #2 readplays, Sep 24, 2009
    The issue seems to be that when the car shows up in another country, it becomes a different affair.
    If a car is stolen in your country, you work with your police force. When it moves to another country (how it gets through and clears customs is an interesting proposition..), you are then dealing with diplomacy as much as the you are dealing with the criminal justice system.
     
  3. Jeff Kennedy

    Jeff Kennedy F1 Veteran
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    Oct 16, 2007
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    Jeff Kennedy
    #3 Jeff Kennedy, Sep 24, 2009
    There was a thread on this back when the confiscation first occurred. In the thread some additional tidbits about how it was "stolen" were mentioned that seemed to cast some doubt on it being stolen versus a dispute between two individuals.

    My recollection is from memory of the thread, not by re-reading the thread.

    Jeff
     
  4. JazzyO

    JazzyO F1 World Champ

    Jan 14, 2007
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    Onno
    #4 JazzyO, Sep 25, 2009
    My recollection is that the car was sold by someone who claimed it was his, and under whose car it was at the time. He had a business relation with the 'other' owner. A court case resolved that the title belonged to the legally-entitled owner, who then reported the car stolen. Also from memory, I guess we should read the thread again. :)


    Onno
     
  5. Gerald Roush

    Gerald Roush Karting
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    Apr 2, 2004
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    Gerald L. Roush
    #5 Gerald Roush, Sep 25, 2009
    The Connecticut detective who investigated the case stated "I continue to believe that the case . . . is strong, unfortunately, the prosecutor did not agree." and "the burden of proof in a civil proceeding is much lower than in a criminal one. He may escape criminal charges, but in civil court he may be ordered to return the car to Dr. Gerber. All is not lost.
    As for the others involved in this case, all the importations, transfers, sales, etc. all occurred in the past beyond the five year statute of limitations. That is, only . . . [he who] possessed the car within the past five years, therefore, he is the only one I could take action against."

    Copies of the whole investigation can be obtained from "Reports and Records at 1111 Country Club Road Middletown, CT 06457. {Case number 0800265932} Read it and judge for yourself."

    Ciao,
    Gerald
     

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