HAMDEN, Conn. — A Connecticut independent dealer believes
charges of larceny, forgery and misapplication of property will be dismissed in
connection with selling a vehicle for a private owner.

Earlier this week, police in Hamden, Conn., arrested David
Taylor, the owner of Bernardo Motors. According to a law enforcement statement
and a newspaper report, the action stems from Taylor looking to sell a 2005 BMW
645i convertible for Timothy Costa of Bristol, Conn.

Police said Taylor allegedly agreed to sell the vehicle in
exchange for a small monetary fee. An investigation revealed two days after the
agreement, Taylor sold the vehicle for approximately $40,000 and the dealer
allegedly deposited the proceeds of the sale into his bank account.

Furthermore, police said Taylor allegedly refrained from
paying the seller his share from the sale, as well as failed to pay off the
seller's loan.

In addition, Hamden Police Capt. Ronald Smith said Taylor
provided the individual who purchased the vehicle with a falsified Connecticut
registration. Smith contends Taylor could not properly register the vehicle
because he didn't pay the existing loan and didn't have access to the title.

According to a report in the New Haven Register, Taylor indicated
he has fully paid off Costa's loan to Regional Acceptance Corp.

"I should have paid it sooner but a former employee
embezzled money," Taylor told the newspaper earlier this week, adding the
former employee now is in prison.

As a result, Taylor said in the newspaper report that had to
pay off the loan with his own funds.

"I had to pick up the slack and pay $35,000 out of my own
pocket. There's no money owed to him," Taylor said of Costa in the report. "I
got caught in the cross-fire."

Hamden Police arrested Taylor and charged him with larceny
in the first degree, forgery in the first degree and misapplication of property.
Taylor, who was released on a written promise to appear, is scheduled to appear
in court in Meriden on June 18.

Taylor insisted to the Connecticut newspaper that his case
will be thrown out of court.

"It should have been a civil issue. Everything will get
overturned. There was no larceny or forgery. There should never have been an
arrest," Taylor told the Register.

Meanwhile, Costa stressed in the newspaper account that he
waited for months for proceeds from Taylor and to this date, neither he nor Regional
Acceptance have been fully paid.

"The car is titled to me. It belongs to me," Costa told the
newspaper. "It's frustrating to be lied to."

The statement from Hamden Police can be found here. The
newspaper report on the incident can be found here.