A used car dealer in New Jersey was sentenced to three years in prison on Friday for selling unsuspecting customers vehicles that were damaged two years ago during Superstorm Sandy, state authorities said to the Associated Press.
Jonathan Olin, former operator of D&D Auto Sales in Old Bridge, N.J., admitted to orchestrating a plan in which a Motor Vehicles Commission employee created clean titles for at least eight vehicles that sustained major flood damage back in 2012.
Olin pleaded guilty to theft by deception back in August. Olin admitted to a judge in Monmouth County that he used falsified titles to sell the vehicles, according to NJ.com.
The vehicles were originally purchased at auction and listed as being used "for parts only."
Seven of those vehicles were sold to customers, who had no idea the cars had flood damage, by Pinky N Brain Corp., doing business as D&D.
The vehicles were sold for a total of $86,000, according to NJ.com.
Olin, 42, of Manalapan also was ordered to pay full restitution to each of his victims, according to the Associated Press.
One of Olin's associates, Jessie Dinome, of Jackson, N.J., a former employee at the Freehold Vehicle Agency, was able to access state computers to create the fake titles, the state Attorney General's Office said to NJ.com.
Dinome, 30, was sentenced to probation and community service in October.
A third person, Jacob Douek, 40, of Staten Island, N.Y., still faces charges for his role in the scheme.
CarFax estimates that more than 212,000 flood-damaged cars are on the road in the U.S., some of which are from the 250,000 cars damaged during Hurricane Sandy. Two-thirds of flooded vehicles can be found in just 10 states, like Texas (30,000) and New Jersey (28,000).
Click here to access CarFax Hurricane Sandy Flood Damage VIN number check.
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