This story comes to us from David Williams, an Ohio expert on the dangers of wrecked-rebuilt cars, as also reported in the Daily Sentinel in Colorado and it explains the dangers to consumers that crooked car dealers can cause when they pawn off wrecked-rebuilt cars to their customers without telling them the truth.

Camden Fortney, owner of Camden Motors in Colorado, had a great scheme. The judge, however, called him a rip off artist who put profits ahead of customer safety and that Fortney sold people rolling pieces of junk.

"This scheme went on for a long time, taking advantage of a lot of people," Judge Flynn said. "I think the scheme you pulled off destroyed confidence in the economoy. I don't want to be driving down the road in a car that's been salvaged. I don't think a lot of people do."

Then he hit him with a total of 53 years in prison. Stark testimony came from one victim who told how Fortney waved a friendly goodbye to her as she drove off his lot with her three children, unaware that they were driving a vehicle that had been totalled.

And Fortney's argument back? He said that if any customer had a complaint, why he was willilng "open" to repairing their vehicle, that not all his customers had defects in their cars, and that no one had had an accident in one of his cars just because it was a salvaged vehicle.

Fortney basically was saying that no one got hurt as he made money off the whole scheme. It's no wonder the judge threw the book at him.

Wrecked cars are ripoffs that cheat consumers. You can learn more about them, and how to avoid them, by clicking here.

If you ended up with a vehicle that has frame damage or was wrecked and you weren't told, you might be a victim of fraud too. Call us at 1.888.331.6422. Helping consumers is what we do. People like Fortney are the reason why.

Burdge Law Office

Helping consumers protect themselves, everyday. Since 1978.