Two employees of a Nissan dealership in Newnan, Georgia, just south of Atlanta, have been arrested over allegations of fraud on vehicle purchase papers, and forged signatures.
Attorney John Lovell is representing the two Nissan dealer employees in the case, and told Autonews, that his clients were arrested on single charges of theft by deception.
“I am a firm believer in the American concept of innocent unless proven guilty. I request that these men be given that presumption of innocence,” Lovell said. “I look forward to presenting additional evidence and proving their innocence.”
However, Iryna Alfieri, told police that she had not purchased “an extended warranty or any other add-ons” when she bought a vehicle from Nissan of Newnan in September. Despite that, the items were included as part of the deal. Police noted that the signatures for that part of the deal were done electronically, and differed from those on the rest of the paperwork.
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“Ms. Alfeiri [sic] stated that she has tried to get this matter reversed with the dealership[,] however they have not been inclined to address the issue,” Newnan police wrote in their report.
In December, another customer, Lindsay Collins, said that the dealership refused to take back a vehicle that she was attempting to return under a lemon law. She, too, claimed that her paperwork contained forged signatures, and police noted an “apparent difference” in the signatures she pointed out.
On that same day, police met with Justin Steele, another customer who claimed he bought a 2018 Ford F-150 XLT from the same dealership. However, the dealership allegedly entered the vehicle as a Ford F-150 Platinum to the lender.
That may be part of a practice called “power-booking,” in which dealers say that a vehicle is worth more than it really is by lying about the trim level “so that the financial [institution] would allow the amount to be processed at a higher rate,” according to the police report. In this case, the difference between the vehicles amounted to a difference of more than $14,000.
The two men were arraigned in Coweta County Magistrate Court, in Newnan. Both have pleaded not guilty, according to their attorney.
