Local Guy's R33s to be crushed

So a guy here at work asked me if I knew anything about Nissan Skylines... I said I do. He procedes to tell me about his BIL that is getting his two cars crushed. Here's the story from the local paper.

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20120527/GPG0101/205270497

I've heard of this happening before, so no big surprise, but I'd thought I'd bring it to the attention of the GRM hive and see the responses (if to only mock the graphics... )

Poor cars. I would take them under my wings.

That really pisses me off. Especially since that was the yellow Skyline from the first F&F movie. Hell, that thing was even featured in Sport Compact Car.

And this is why I hate bureaucrats and lawyers.

Aren't R33s already on the "legal" list because of the hoops that one importing company already jumped through?

I understand in this case there's no VIN plates, but still...

Eh, he knew the risks, or at least he should have known the risks. There are also legal ways to import them, which Mr. Beno obviously did not avail himself of.

He gambled that he could get away with this in a gray area. He lost. Tough luck.

Who cares if it was a "grey area." Can you honestly say the prosecutor's office was a good steward of the taxpayer's money by spending so many resources just to track down a "criminal" who purchased automobiles from Japan? And I'm not even getting into the whole entrapment thing and the fact that the state did give him a title at one point and then decided to renege.

so if he sold them for off-road (track) use only he wouldn't be in this mess? maybe?

I still think its a bit of an overreaction. crushing perfectly good cars to send a message. woo hoo. you have judicial power. way to save us from ourselves.

I'm with fail on this one.

I hope by "a few personal belongings" they mean the drivetrains...

Sky_Render wrote: Who cares if it was a "grey area." Can you honestly say the prosecutor's office was a good steward of the taxpayer's money by spending so many resources just to track down a "criminal" who purchased automobiles from Japan? And I'm not even getting into the whole entrapment thing and the fact that the state did give him a title at one point and then decided to renege.

This!

I mean, I guess we should all count our blessings...the local crime enforcement money pit...errr...division has enforced all laws regarding drug and violent crime! hooray!!! All the local schools must be at 100% of state grade standards, everyone has a job, and there must not be any gun or other felonious crime occurring if they have the time and resources available to tackle such a heinous criminal as your Brother in Law! What great news!

He screwed up

Beno crossed the line when he put the cars up for sale, Johnson said. A DOT investigator spotted the purple car on eBay and contacted Beno by email pretending to be an interested buyer from Milwaukee.

"He asks Beno if he has a title, can it be titled, could I get a (vehicle identification number)," Johnson said. "We'd expect Beno to say no, it can't be titled. He's got a letter, he's been told. But he responds that upon sale and payment, you can receive a Florida title and then go to the Department of Motor Vehicles and get a title transfer from Wisconsin. He's trying to circumvent, to get around the law."

Beno claims he believed it was possible and legal to get a Florida title and have it transferred to Wisconsin and that he had no intention of deceiving anyone.

"If anybody had actually come to the house and laid the money on the table, I'd have been honest and said you could only get a bill of sale with me, not a title," he said. "That's how I bought it, and that's how it's being sold."

In the end, Johnson charged him with two felony counts involving conspiracy to commit a fraud, a felony count involving the absence of the manufacturer's ID tags and two misdemeanors relating to the absence of those tags.

....and tried to make amends

In a last-ditch effort to save the cars, he offered to instead pay fines or even to help sell the cars somewhere overseas and let the court system turn the proceeds over to a charity.

....but ended up fighting with a bureaucrat who has no love for cars, and who was willing to crush them just to prove a point.

According to the article, he's in trouble for trying to teach people how to obtain titles by washing through two other states. The cars really didn't matter, it was that action that's doing him in.

Additionally, (and yes, the R33 is the only legal one the list, see below) he bought stripped shells with removed VIN plates, and then rebuilt them. He might have been able to title the shells had he brought the shell and VIN (he did one at a time) to the DMV before rebuilding (which is what he messed up on the first car, causing the messed-up title issuance).

Unfortunately, his fraudulent activities (cough that some of you had said to do here regarding old Mini's, buying classics without titles, and such... cough) is what cornered him with the felony charges that eventually led to the plea deal crushing the cars.

"Nissan GTS & GTR (RHD) a.k.a. "Skyline" (manufactured 1/96-6/98) R33 1996-1998 32 NHTSA-2005-22654"

DETAILS people, details! Read the article first!

Its easy enough to drop an RBxxDET into an S or Z chassis, but still, crush them? They'd make some mean police cars.

They're going to take fraud seriously.

Seems a shame. but then the buerecrats all want us driving priuses anyhow, so.....

Javelin wrote: Unfortunately, his fraudulent activities (*cough* that some of you had said to do here regarding old Mini's, buying classics without titles, and such... *cough*) is what cornered him with the felony charges that eventually led to the plea deal crushing the cars.

What is wrong with buying classics without titles?

93EXCivic wrote:

Javelin wrote: Unfortunately, his fraudulent activities (*cough* that some of you had said to do here regarding old Mini's, buying classics without titles, and such... *cough*) is what cornered him with the felony charges that eventually led to the plea deal crushing the cars.

What is wrong with buying classics without titles?

We don't have titles here in Alabama on older cars. But I don't think that is what he means.

Even if he bought them as shells..... couldn't they technically be considered kit cars? It's obvious he really didn't buy them as vehicles to begin with. I know that sort of thing is how several of them made it stateside to begin with (shipping the driveline and the shell separate... in fact that's how the first US registered r35 got here).... I guess i don't technically see what is illegal, other than perhaps the method of trying to wash the titles.

Otto Maddox wrote:

93EXCivic wrote:

Javelin wrote: Unfortunately, his fraudulent activities (*cough* that some of you had said to do here regarding old Mini's, buying classics without titles, and such... *cough*) is what cornered him with the felony charges that eventually led to the plea deal crushing the cars.

What is wrong with buying classics without titles?

We don't have titles here in Alabama on older cars. But I don't think that is what he means.

I know that is why I was confused...

No no no you guys... It was all because he didn't have cats on the cars.

I could have sworn that a local shop here in Central GA that used to sponsor autox used to own the yellow skyline from F&F - at least that's what it said on their website at one time. Full disclosure - I didn't read the linked article above, maybe they did mention it.

In reply to mndsm:

Kit cars are issued a vin of sorts. Article makes it sound like thes had nothing. Beyond that i dont see anything wrong besides maybe TELLING someone else how they MIGHT get a title.

It's a bit heavy handed in my view, but i'm not the big bad gubment.

Either way they are incredible stupid laws only enforced to help the car markers bottomline by preventing them from importing cars from any where.