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Chevy Dealer Charged With Theft; Allegedly Did Not Pay Off Trades
May 3, 2012
A former Atmore car dealer has been arrested after allegedly failing to pay off customer trade-ins.
Carl Smith, age 65, was indicted by an Escambia County (Ala.) Grand Jury on 12 counts of first degree theft by deception. He was released from the Escambia County Detention Center in Brewton on a $300,000 bond. Smith is the former owner of Carl Smith Chevrolet in Atmore.
Smith accepted trade-in vehicles toward the purchase of new or used vehicle. But he allegedly failed to pay off the loans as agreed on the trades, leaving customers to find out they owe a lender for both vehicles.
For Kadie Purvis, a Northview High School graduate and current college student, the whole scenario has been a nightmare.
“I’m a full time college student, and I don’t have $650 to make two car payments,” Purvis said. “It mostly just makes me angry because it not fair to me or the other people going through the same thing. We did our part; we trusted his dealership when buying a car. We’ve made the payments on our new vehicles and in turn our credit scores are being ruined.”
Purvis said she purchased a vehicle from Carl Smith Chevrolet in January, only to later start receiving phone calls and letters from lenders alerting her that her old load was not paid off. She said the entire ordeal has been five months of “unneeded stress”.
Shortly after his arrest, Smith reportedly entered into a written agreement to transfer the dealership to a Louisiana Chevrolet dealer.
Comments
20 Responses to “Chevy Dealer Charged With Theft; Allegedly Did Not Pay Off Trades”
AMAZED THERE IS SOMEONE DEFENDING THIS GUY. “GOOD HEARTED” HOW BOUT NO HEARTED. NEWS FLASH!!! OF COURSE THE SMITH FAMILY WERE GOOD TO YOU… HE WAS MAKING MONEY OFF YOU!!! YOU DEFEND ENRON TOO? CARL SMITH WILL END UP IN JAIL WHERE SINNING CRIMINALS BELONG. MEANWHILE I HAVE TO LOOK OUT FOR A REPOMAN TO TAKE A TRUCK I PAYED FOR AND ANOTHER $7K IN OUTFITTING FOR MY WORK.
DEADLY SIN
*Greed* - excessive or reprehensible acquisitiveness: “Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more” (Ephesians 4:19)
NO ROOM FOR GREED IN A GOOD HEART
@Steve…
I have known this man for a long time too and know first hand what a con he is and happy to see karma is taking place! In case you don’t know what karma is…”What goes around, comes around!”
This same scenerio happened to me in Bay Minette, AL
Yeah, I’m sure he’s a good ole boy and he only messed up this one time. Seems like such a little infraction. If you don’t consider the mangled mess it caused for other people with their banks and loan companies. Not to mention the residuals like lower credit score, insurance goes up because or lower credit score, adjustable mortgage rate goes up because of insurance rise and credit score lower, the effects are endless. All because one guy wanted to cheat somebody else and make a few extra dollars for himself. How you like him now? I been forced to deal with his type all my life. I hope he rots in jail.
@ Steve W- of course since he is a friend of yours, have probably had nothing but honest dealings with this man. Maybe even benifical to you unknowingly at someone else’s expense. And to cast judgement is nothing more than forming an opinion from the facts givin. Same thing you have done, formed an opinion of this person by what you believe to be true. Not everyone has to agree. I’m sure you are not the only one at his defense and they too can voice their opinion, just doesn’t seem to be many takers on the defensive side.
@ Steve W;
I respectfully disagree with the fact that we should not judge Mr. Smith. While normally we should refrain from judging others, we do have the right to judge those with whom we do business or hold in a position of trust. When Mr. Smith decided to become a businessman and put himself in a position to be trusted with other people’s property and money, then he put himself in a position where his character, trustworthiness, honesty and integrity must be called into question. If he is potentially defrauding others, then everyone who might do business with him at anytime has every right to know and judge his character. He may be considered innocent until proven guilty in the legal realm, but the public has every right to judge his character if not his crime.
@Hoppy:
From what I have heard and read from posters like Dan; he may have already SOLD those trade-ins. One would have to repo them from people like Dan who bought a traded-in vehicle thinking it was free and clear.
My Wife and I have been friends of his family for years and have purchased trucks from him and have not had him do anything like this to us. Him and his wife are truly good hearted. This is truly sad that he did this to the people who are involved, But this is a matter to be settled between him, the courts, the people involved and God. All the rest of us should not cast jugement on him. Judgement is between Carl and God and we should not comment about him, But pray that the matter gets settled between all that are involved. MAY THE LORD BE WITH HIM AND EVERYONE INVOLVED AND WITH US AS WE PRAY.
Get a repo man to go over there to that dealership and get all those cars that were traded in and give them back to their titled owner. Then let the rightful owner settle up with the lender or re-sell it themselves. Take this crook out of the equation. I see a class action lawsuit on the horizon.
He got me. I am a buyer of a vehicle that apparently was not payed off. Amazing how someone can sell a vehicle to another person after never paying for it. How do these criminals sleep at night. I spent several thousand dollars outfitting my new truck for work and sold my old truck. Now im stuck with a truck i cant register or get a title for. Apparently i purchased it 8 days after previous owner traded it in late feb. He was already under investigation. That thief sold me a truck knowing he wasnt going to pay note on the title. He should be charged with fraud too. GM wont do a thing about it either. Apparently GM doesnt back their product or their dealers
This is just one reason why people go to Pensacola to buy a car.
Oh my gosh! What a douche bag move! I really have deep sympathy for the innocent people involved in this Crooks horrible scam! I’ve never been in this sort of situation but I do work hard to make an HONEST living and I know you can only stretch a dollar so far. I couldn’t imagine having to take on an extra payment while someone else has lied to you and reaped the bennifits of your loss! And he has most deffinatly reaped the bennifits, not many honest people can make a 300 thousand dollar bond because I believe you have to pay 10% of that…. 30 thousand dollars probably would have better been used to pay off some of the liens on the cars he STOLE from innocent victims.
Same reason we no longer have a Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep dealership in town. The Boothe family was doing the SAME EXACT thing…
I bet he wheels and deals himself right out of anything stronger than a slap on the hand!!
This guy has always been shady. Back when it was Chuck Stevens he was sales manager and tried to lie to us about a lemon he tried to sell us. Luckily we took it on an overnight test drive! I’d never have dealings with him!
Hopefully all involved will get their loans paid off!
@429SCJ – The Staff family sold the dealership to Chuck Stevens…I’m guessing it was Chuck Stevens that sold the dealership “to this turkey”.
Same thing happend to us in April 2011 when we traded two vehicles on a new car. I noticed on our banks website that the loans were still not paid off and payments were coming due. After MANY phone calls, trips up there, and fits thrown they finally got everything straight, although it took almost TWO months to get the correct registation information to get a tag in Fla on the car.
This has been a disaster for my fiance and I. I have one more semester of college before graduation and we are stuck making two truck payments, the loan on our trade-in was never paid. I feel sorry for whoever brought our trade-in, because essentially it is stolen, if my thinking is correct and logical. All I have to say is that for the crimes Smith ‘allegedly” committed, I hope he pays, honestly I hope that they can liquidate his assets to pay off our and others debt’s!
I will never understand why the Staff family, sold the dealership to this turkey.
I remember seeing the 1964 Impala SS 409ci at Staff. ” My dual quad, 4 speed, positraction 409″ Brian Wilson
I hope the Louisiana owners do better by their customers..
And some people wonder why you cant trust a car salesman…these are tough times in a tough economy…what happens to the debt that has not been paid ?
How awful! I hope the people he robbed get justice.