Stolen 914 on Ebay, Purchased from Camp 914 a year ago and then stolen. Options

[ConeDodger]

Have you guys heard about the stolen 914 on Ebay? Purchased from Camp914 a year and a half ago and then stolen from the new owner. Ebay seller has been informed and is NOT stopping the auction. Claims he bought it legally! That actually sounds familiar. Orange and nice. This guy should seriously stop this auction before this plie of stromberg gets deeper...

[ammason]

Hey all - this is Aaron, the guy that the car was taken from... Wow I didn't even realize this discussion was going on and was just checking the 914club forum. Why didn't you 914club guys tell me (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)? Are the two the same?

So for those of you that haven't heard the other side of the story (mine) about what happened, here's the timeline:

• June 2005: I left Oakland and took my giant Caddy across the country and left the car with a friend of mine in Oakland. I spent 5 months travelling (sailing through the Panama Canal, Egypt, Miami and NY) and it was awesome.
  
• October 2005: The car was stolen and registered to a new owner. I was in Costa Rica (and have the passport stamps to prove it).
  
• December 2005: I got back from Egypt and went to go pick up the car, only to have my friend tell me it'd been towed. After spending a couple of days looking through local tow yards, I filed a stolen vehicle report with the Oakland PD, which they took without checking to see if it had been re-registered. I had the registration slip in my hand, so they took the report without checking with the DMV. I left my contact info as well as info for a local contact, and moved to Hawaii.
  
• January/February 2006: The car was impounded because it was pulled over with a driver without a license. CHP found that there was a stolen vehicle report and aparently (unconfirmed) attempted to contact the previous registered owner. They said they didn't try to contact the Oakland PD or the person who filed the police report. According to the Oakland PD they never heard from the CHP. CHP reported the vehicle recovered (not returned though) while the Oakland PD still had an open stolen vehicle report. They still do.
  
• February 2006: The car was issued a new title by Pat's Lein Service in the East Bay and sold by a tow truck company, still with no contact made to the Oakland PD to see who the car was stolen from.
  
• 2006-2007: Every week I checked eBay and craigslist looking to see if the car would come up for sale. Maybe that's a bit stalkerish, but it worked. The car has been sold several times, and is now for sale on eBay.
  
• June 2007: I found the car and my first call was to the Oakland PD, who said something along the lines of "You found your car? We've still got the report open, we'll go get it and take the current owner in for questioning." They told me to call the ATTF as well, and now as far as I know the CHP officer working on the case, Andy Cosgrove, is retrieving documents from the DMV, CHP, Pat's Lein Service, and the towing company responsible for selling the car. My last two phone calls to him have gone unanswered. Tomorrow I'll open a case with the FBI since CHP seems to be dragging it's feet and internet sales are federal jurisdiction.

When this first started the seller told me he had $2000 invested in the car. I didn't want to see him pay for someone else's crime, and at the same time didn't want him to profit on it either, so I offered to pay him what he had into it and let that be that. Since then (today, actually) he's told me that he bought it to sell for profit, that's what he's going to do, and if I want to bid on eBay that was fine with him. Honestly, there's not that much, save for hiring a lawyer and filing an injunction, that I can do, except keep calling law enforcement at every level and sticking with it for a year or so.

He's got a CHP officer friend who has told him the car is his, end of story. Maybe he's right, maybe he's just telling his friend what he wants to hear; I'm not in the speculation business. I do plan on stepping it up a bit though: perhaps speaking with the FBI, a couple of journalist friends in magazines and local papers, as well as a radio DJ in the BA will scare the CHP/ATTF into taking this a little more seriously.

What I really hope doesn't happen is that whoever buys the car does so without knowing the situation right now, and that Ted takes their check to the bank before the car is returned to me. Perhaps he'll get stuck with a "knowingly selling stolen property" charge pressed by whoever buys the car, I don't know, and after the way he's treated me, it's not really a concern of mine. I'd just like to get my car back. It's regrettable that he's choosing to bring yet another person into the mix by selling it before the dust settles, but again, that's his choice.

I do want to say thanks to everyone for the interest in the car and this whole story - you guys have been great and the support from both (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) forums has been incredibly helpful in keeping my spirits up through this mess. I've got a long road ahead, but if I can spend a year and a half not knowing if the car was still in one piece, I can spend another year now that I have names/dates/events. I'll get it back - of that I'm quite confident - but it will take time.

I live rent-free in Hawaii - life is good - and I have the time.

As I've posted on the other board, if any of you guys have any advice, post it here or contact me any time:

Aaron Mason
aaron@aaronmason.com
808-723-5535

1936 S. King St. #203
Honolulu, HI 96826

Thanks again for everything. Aloha!