Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicle investigators have charged a Westside Cleveland car salesman with illegally selling cars following an exclusive 5 On Your Side investigation.
62-year-old Gary Shell was charged with violating state law that requires salespeople to obtain a valid license from the Ohio Department of Motor Vehicles.
He failed to appear in court for his arraignment and an arrest warrant, plus a $5,000 bond has been set.
Ohio BMV investigator Mark Hoy said the case is important, because the law protects consumers by requiring background checks that will reveal past criminal histories and other misconduct.
Shell once served time in prison for ripping off consumers at another car lot and was banned from obtaining a license.
Even so, an exclusive 5 On Your Side investigation on October 31, 2017 found Shell appeared to be selling cars on three separate occasions where he was employed by Auto Expo III on Lorain Avenue.
Even so, in the video, Shell appears to vouch for the vehicle's safety.
The dealership owner has denied any knowledge of Shell selling cars or vehicles that were subject to safety recalls.
Our investigation found there are roughly 2 million vehicles on the road in Ohio with active safety recalls that can eventually wind up on used car lots across the state.
