Hempfield man sentenced in car sales scheme
Mar. 31—A Hempfield man will spend a year on house arrest for claiming to be a licensed car dealer when selling vehicles on Facebook and forging a family member's name on some of the transactions, according to court papers.
Christopher Alan Post, 39, previously of Lower Burrell, was sentenced this week to five years of probation by Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio.
Investigators said in court papers that Post did not have a license to act as a car dealer. One of the buyers reported the situation to Lower Burrell police in October 2019, the day after she bought a 2000 Nissan Maxima for $1,500 from Post. Police said the car was not registered in Post's name and it would cost more than $2,000 for repairs needed to pass inspection.
When officers looked at Post's Facebook page, they found 22 live videos posted over 10 months where he was peddling vehicles, according to court papers.
Eight notarized vehicle transactions reviewed by state police showed that Post at times forged a family member's signature or the vehicle's owner wasn't present, according to court papers. Many of those transactions were listed as a gift between Post and the buyer or seller, police said
Post admitted to the sales when questioned by police and continued to list vehicles for sale on his Facebook page after learning he was under investigation. Police executed a search warrant on his Facebook page and found communications with buyers and sellers during which he claimed to be a licensed dealer, police said.
Charges were filed in January 2020. Post pleaded guilty Monday under a negotiated agreement to money laundering charges and summary offenses related to the unlicensed vehicle sales. Restitution of $1,500 was paid in full, according to a sentencing order and online court records.
Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta at 724-837-5374, rsignorini@triblive.com or via Twitter .
