2 Oxnard Ex-Used Car Dealers Indicted in Scam

Two men who ran a used-car dealership in Oxnard have been indicted by the Ventura Grand Jury on 33 counts of grand theft.

John Krablin and Richard White, both 35, took in cars on consignment, sold them and allegedly failed to pay off the original owners, said Rebecca Dean, an assistant district attorney with the Ventura County district attorney’s office.

The indictment outlines 15 such transactions.

Dean said that some cars were repossessed by the finance companies. In other cases, the buyers and sellers reached negotiated settlements. Some owners have been unable to obtain registration for their cars and cannot drive them until the legal issues are resolved, Dean said.

Krablin and White are being held in the Ventura County Jail on $160,000 bail each, and an arraignment is scheduled in Ventura County Superior Court on Friday.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles launched an investigation into Krablin and White’s dealership, the Auto Realty on Saviers Road, after receiving numerous complaints in June, 1986.

Dean said the Auto Realty was in business for about two years but that the disputed deals occurred only in the last six months of business.

Krablin and White’s car dealership license was eventually revoked, and an indictment was returned by the grand jury on Feb. 24.

This is the second case in which the district attorney’s office has sought a grand jury indictment instead of scheduling a preliminary hearing.

Under California law, a defendant indicted by a grand jury still has the right to a preliminary hearing to decide whether enough evidence exists to try the case. The district attorney’s office has asked the California Supreme Court to change that and permit such cases to proceed directly to trial.

A decision by the Supreme Court is pending.