MAY 27, 1999

CORONA CAR DEALERSHIP SHUT DOWN DEALER ARRESTED FOR FRAUD AGAINST CONSUMERS

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today the arrest of of a Flushing man for rolling back odometers on cars and installing illegal parts at his unlicensed car dealership, 101 Motors, at 100-21 Northern Blvd, in Corona.

District Attorney Brown identified the defendant as Fuzail Fuzaylov, 41, of 147-58 76th Avenue, Flushing, who was charged with a total of 30 felony counts including forgery, scheming to defraud, grand larceny, illegal possession of vehicle identification numbers and altering mileage registering devices. If convicted he faces a maximum of 7 years in prison.

District Attorney Brown said, "The Auto Crimes Units of the District Attorney's Office, the New York State Police and the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles have banded together to put a stop to consumer fraud in auto sales. We will continue to respond vigorously to customer complaints about fraudulent transactions. The crimes alleged are not only fraudulent but in some cases dangerous."

"This joint investigation is a great example of the success which can be achieved through interagency cooperation and dedication," said New York State Police Superintendent James W. McMahon.

"Once again the combined efforts of two state agencies and a local district attorney's office has brought about the apprehension of an unauthorized car dealer installing stolen parts and rolling back odometers," said Commissioner Richard E. Jackson, Jr.

According to the District Attorney, from the beginning of 1998 to April 1999, the defendant allegedly altered the vehicle odometers in used cars to reflect less mileage than the vehicles had actually been driven and sold the vehicles to unsuspecting consumers. In one instance a 1991 Nissan Maxima which had been driven 150,561 miles was allegedly altered to reflect that it had only been driven 50,561 miles.

The investigation leading to the arrests was carried out jointly by the Auto Theft Unit of the New York State Police, the Division of Field Investigation of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles and prosecutors from the Queens District Attorney's Office's Organized Crime and Rackets Bureau responding to complaints received from members of the public. According to the charges, undercover police officers were offered cars which had been purchased at auction in Michigan by the defendant and driven to his unlicensed dealership. There he allegedly altered their odometers erasing as much as 100,000 miles per car. The defendant is also charged with installing parts without their vehicle identification number which makes the parts impossible to trace. A search warrant executed at the dealership's sales office resulted in the seizure of 10 cars as well as papers relating to other sales.

Assistant District Attorney Peri Kadanoff of the District Attorney's Organized Crime and Rackets Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Gerard Brave of the Auto Crimes Unit and Bureau Chief Brian J. Mich, is in charge of the prosecution.

It is to be noted that a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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