Titles Unlimited
 

Been away from CC for a few weeks, not sure if the recap on Titles Unlimited had been previously posted:

Alabama man arrested in $14 million fraud case

By Don Thompson
ASSOCIATED PRESS


SACRAMENTO - An Alabama man has been convicted for his role in a wide-ranging scam that may have cost California $14 million in lost taxes and license fees since 1975, the state attorney general's office said Wednesday.


Arrest warrants simultaneously were issued for four California businessmen alleged to have helped their customers avoid smog requirements by fraudulently registering their vehicles.


Richard Clark Weaver, 56, of Birmingham, Ala., owner of Titles Unlimited, also doing business as Pinson Valley Auto Sales, was convicted Friday of providing fraudulent vehicle purchase agreements to California owners for $200 by mail. The agreements gave a false year the vehicle had been manufactured, and falsely said the vehicles had been purchased from Weaver at a low price.


The owners then could use the false documents to avoid smog registrations and to pay lower taxes. The Department of Motor Vehicles is canceling the registrations, and prosecutors in more than 20 California counties have been notified so they can consider bringing charges against the vehicle owners.


Weaver faces a maximum three-year prison term at his May 7 sentencing.


Investigators found at least five other companies in Alabama, Nevada, New York and Florida that together may have helped in the false registration of as many as 70,000 vehicles, though no charges against them have been filed. Attorney General Bill Lockyer said the investigation will continue into the loss of millions of dollars he said California can ill afford.


Of 613 vehicle purchases Weaver helped falsify since 1999, more than 150 were Cobra "kit" or "replica" cars that typically cost more than $40,000 but were usually registered as older Fords with values of $500, costing the state at least $500,000. One Cobra cost $120,000 but was registered as costing $70,000, prosecutors said.


The four arrest warrants issued Friday are for Lance Stander and Kimberly Marie Calder, both of Tustin, owner and employee, respectively, of Hilbank Motor Corp. in Costa Mesa; Dean Alan Woodruff of Alta Loma, owner of Woodruff's House of Cobras in Anaheim; and Craig Hill of Livermore, owner of Top of the Hill Performance Center in Livermore.


An employee at the Livermore company declined comment; a telephone directory search for the other businesses yielded no listings Wednesday.


Authorities allege they sold the replicas and helped the buyers falsely register the vehicles.


The probe began in October 2001 with Yolo County's investigation of former Woodland police officer Terry Brown's registration of a 2000 Superperformance Cobra using Weaver's documents. He pleaded guilty in April 2002 to making a false statement to DMV, repaid $3,030 and performed 80 hours of public service.

What ever happened with this? How does soemone who buys a "new' kit register and smog the car in California.

Has anyone built one f these lately and gone thru this?

I am in process of buying a "new" Cobra and I already have the motor and trans ready to go...however how does CA determine what smog requirement, if any, that I have to meet.

Thanks for you help,
Chad

After unofficially holding the record for the longest time to build my Butler I went thru the registration process late last year. I can tell you that my process of registration was fairly simple with the exception of the DMV wait. It did however take me some time to recieve my title which may have stemmed from the news story above. Perhaps they looked at it with more scrutiny? If you have any specific questions let me know and I will do my best to relay my experiences.

What about this....
 

Thanks Chifo...the motor is a Motorsports R-Block 8.2 deck 302...so basically I was thinking that there shoudl be no reason why I can tell the referee that it is a 289 block replacement...which it is. So that I want the car to be judged as a 65'. I know that when you use a 351 they tell you the smog requirments is based on a 69" since that's when those came out.

I plan on going for sb-100 but it that falls thru or I can get a number I was thinking of a back up plan. I know people have made their motor(351's) 1969 smog legal on had it tested that way but since I'm using an older stlye motor and since in 65 there is no smog requirments. I believe some people do that and don't have SB-100. Anyway I don't mind paying fo ra smog every two years if its based on a platform whcih has no smog requirments....just a thought. Let me know thoughts.

Thanks Again,
Chad

Chad,

BAR will smog exempt you (via SB100) based on either year of block or year of body style (whichever you choose).

DMV will REGISTER the car based on chassis and year built. Thus, you have to go through SB100 or face serious, serious consequences. Do a search on SB100 or CA DMV and read for yourself. It's all been discussed here at tremendous lengths. Good luck.

-Deano