Back in 1995, Craig Newmark started an email distribution list to his friends that featured local events in the San Francisco Bay area. That email distribution list was to become the classified giant we now know as Craigslist. Today, Craigslist covers not only the entire United States, but it has extended to 70 countries.
In the past, Craigslist has been the focus of news, but not all were good news. We have heard stories of scams and lures, and who hasn’t heard about the Craigslist killer. Regretfully, some took to the classified advertisements website to lure others into scams or even worse, death. Today’s news is no different as we come across a stolen 1964 Corvette C2 that was sold on Craigslist.
According to the San Jose Mercury News, “A Watsonville man was arrested on numerous charges including grand theft, forgery, and burglary Sunday after selling a stolen 1964 Chevrolet Corvette on Craigslist for $25,000.”
The California Highway Patrol was called to the Capitola DMV office when a man attempted to register the ’64 Corvette on November 30th. According to Sgt. Grant Boles, “the victim of the scam told CHP officers he had paid for the vehicle on November 17th, and provided information about the man who impersonated the car’s legal owner.”
After a thorough investigation, CHP officers identified Jesse Chmelicek, 43, of Watsonville as the suspected Craigslist scammer, Boles said.
A search warrant at Chmelicek residence uncovered what Sgt. Boles described as “an extensive criminal element.”
The investigation is ongoing as officers also found evidence that linked Chmelicek to several home burglaries in the areas of Capitola and La Selva. According to Sgt. Boles, officers also recovered a trailer stolen in Capitola and a tractor that was stolen during a burglary in Aptos.
Needless to say, Chmelicek was booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail on charges of auto theft, possession of stolen vehicles, grand theft, burglary, forgery and possession of methamphetamine. He remains in custody on a $500,000 bail.
A bittersweet ending to this story, as reported by the Santa Cruz Sentinel, the ’64 C2 has been returned to its rightful owner and the perpetrator is in custody, but the scammed buyer is now out of $25,000.
All we can add is be careful when you purchase items from sellers on Craigslist. Make sure you do your research before committing.