Camden Car Dealer Sentenced for Receiving Stolen Property

Media Release April 14

TRENTON - Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw announced that a former Camden car dealer was sentenced on Friday for receiving stolen property.

According to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden Brown, Raphael Rosario, 51, of Pennsauken, was sentenced to three years probation by Superior Court Judge Thomas A. Brown Jr. in Camden. Rosario was sentenced pursuant to his guilty plea to an accusation that charged him with third-degree receiving stolen property.

Rosario was owner and operator of Wilson Motors on North 24th Street in Camden, a business that acquired damaged vehicles in order to refurbish and sell them or sell the parts. Wilson Motors is no longer in business. At his guilty plea hearing on March 3, Rosario admitted that between October 2005 and August 2006, he acquired and resold a vehicle without making the proper inquiry as a car dealer into whether the vehicle was stolen property. Specifically, Rosario admitted that he acquired a 2005 Suzuki XL7 without verifying whether the owner of the Suzuki XL7 had the legal authority to sell or otherwise dispose of the vehicle. The Suzuki XL7 was, in fact, stolen and had been “replated” with a VIN obtained from a salvaged vehicle, which was also purchased by Wilson Motors. The salvaged vehicle was the same make, model, color and year as the stolen vehicle. Rosario later sold the stolen vehicle to a local couple.

Detective LaMonica Cross and Deputy Attorney General Paul D. Santangini were assigned to the investigation. Santangini represented the state at the sentencing.

Prosecutor Brown noted that some important cases have started with anonymous tips. People who are concerned about insurance cheating and have information about fraud can report it anonymously by calling the toll-free hotline 1-877-55-FRAUD or visiting the Web site www.njinsurancefraud.org. State regulations permit an award to be paid to an eligible person who provides information that leads to an arrest, prosecution and conviction for insurance fraud.

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