A Closet

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More trouble for LoCastro....

2/10/2010 3:32 AM

Car dealer reports jewelry stolen from business

By Kathie O. Warco, Staff writer [e-mail]

This article has been read 4630 times.

A Peters Township man told Canonsburg police Monday that $225,000 in jewelry was stolen from a safe in a cabinet inside his office at his used car dealership.
Vincent LoCastro of 102 Standing Rock Drive told police that jewelry was being sold as part of his LoCastro & Associates Inc. jewelry business.

LoCastro told police that he got a call Sunday morning from a member of his cleaning service who reported finding the front door to the dealership unlocked. A member of the cleaning crew also reported to LoCastro that two windows were found unlocked the previous week.

After the cleaners were done, they locked up the business. An employee also came and checked the door later Sunday morning, finding it locked.

LoCastro said most of the jewelry was in a silver, hard-sided briefcase kept in the bottom drawer of the cabinet. The briefcase also was stolen.

Police said there was no sign of forced entry into the building. There were pry marks on the right side of the filing cabinet. LoCastro told police that he found a crowbar on a shelf in an unused office.

The collection reportedly included a Terry Bradshaw 1979 Super Bowl ring valued at $75,000 and a Joe Greene 1974 Super Bowl ring valued at $60,000.

Bradshaw donated all four of his Super Bowl rings, along with other personal memorabilia like his Hall of Fame ring and bust, to his alma mater, Louisiana Tech University, in April 2006. Canonsburg police Detective Al Coghill said the ring may be a second design made for family members.

LoCastro told police the jewelry is not insured.

LoCastro was charged last week by state police with multiple violations including 338 counts of applications for certificate of title and more than 500 counts of violating rules for registering vehicles at his dealership, All Pro Auto Mall. He is also charged with theft by failure to make required deposit of funds and tampering with public records.

In December, LoCastro was indicted in federal court for allegedly using another person's personal information to obtain financing for nine luxury cars. He was charged with identity theft.

He is awaiting a March hearing before county Judge Janet Moschetta Bell on hundreds of charges filed by state police claiming fraudulent business practices at the dealership in 2007 and 2008.

http://www.observer-reporter.com/OR/Story/02-05-2010-LoCastro-charged-

2/5/2010 3:33 AM

LoCastro facing fresh charges

By Kathie O. Warco, Staff writer, [e-mail]

This article has been read 2533 times.

A Canonsburg used car dealer, already facing charges in federal and Washington County courts, was accused this week of failing to pay the state money he collected for license plates and other fees on vehicles sold.
Vincent A. LoCastro, 47, of 102 Standing Rock Drive, McMurray, was charged Tuesday by state police with multiple violations including 338 counts of applications for certificate of title and more than 500 counts of violating rules for registering vehicles. He is also charged with theft by failure to make required deposit of funds and tampering with public records. LoCastro owns and operates All Pro Auto Mall, 108 S. Central Ave.

Trooper Kevin Daerr, who filed the charges against LoCastro, said he had received complaints from customers who purchased vehicles from All Pro Auto Mall but did not receive their titles and/or registration from the state within 90 days of purchase.

LoCastro allegedly sold 52 vehicles between Feb. 7 and Nov. 2, collecting $26,597 in taxes and fees from the buyers. Daerr said dealers are required to pass the collected fees within 20 days of the sale of the vehicle, but LoCastro failed to submit them to the Department of Transportation.

LoCastro is also accused of failing to submit a title to Penn-DOT for a vehicle he sold on July 17. Since that temporary registration expired, LoCastro allegedly completed a new form showing an Oct. 15 sales date to give the owner of the vehicle another 90 days on the new temporary registration card. LoCastro allegedly entered a false date for the purchase, listing the sale as Oct. 15 when the true date was July 17.

Last week, Canonsburg police received a complaint from a Pittsburgh woman who reported that she learned that the license plate on the BMW she purchased at All Pro was registered to a Harrisburg couple. The vehicle identification number indicated her car was owned by a Pittsburgh couple. The report will be turned over to Daerr, who said that vehicle owners should receive the necessary registration paperwork from the state before the temporary tag expires 90 days after the date of purchase.

"It is an oddity if you don't get the registration within the 90 days," Daerr said. "It may be as simple as a paperwork error, but you should contact the dealer."

In December, LoCastro was indicted in federal court for allegedly using another person's personal information to obtain financing for nine luxury cars. He was charged with identity theft for allegedly using the name, date of birth and Social Security number of "a person known to the grand jury" to acquire loans that resulted in four banks losing more than $330,000.

According to federal prosecutors, LoCastro obtained the loans while doing business as owner of All Pro Auto Mall.

LoCastro is awaiting a March hearing before county Judge Janet Moschetta Bell on hundreds of charges filed by state police claiming fraudulent business practices at the dealership in 2007 and 2008.

Early in 2008, LoCastro agreed to comply with a state consumer protection law regarding some cars that were improperly sold through the dealership. State Attorney General Tom Corbett had filed claims that LoCastro violated fair trade practices, consumer protection laws and Pennsylvania auto regulations.

The filing said his company misrepresented the condition of advertised vehicles and collected deposits for online auctions but failed to return them when purchasers did not complete a transaction.

LoCastro signed a voluntary compliance agreement and paid $11,607 in civil penalties, the cost of investigation and filing fees and has returned deposits or security collected from consumers who canceled or breached sales contracts.

The most recent charges were filed at the office of District Judge David Mark. A preliminary hearing is set for March 10 before Mark.

Daerr said the investigation is continuing. Anyone with similar complaints should contact him at 724-223-5200.

http://www.observer-reporter.com/OR/Story/02-05-2010-LoCastro-charged-