:wtc:
(and is a main reason why ive never tried "illegally" buying a skyline)
Here's the skinny: In 2010 this yellow R33 Skyline GT-R was seized in Wisconsin. The car, like many Skylines at the time, was imported incorrectly -- not necessarily illegally -- and the DMV at the time didn't handle registration correctly and revoked the title to this and his other R33 GT-R. (You'll note that not all cars have a 17-digit VIN, that's something our DOT requires.) Wisconsin also has a law on the books preventing you from even owning a car without a valid VIN. (How that applies to racecars / track cars, I'm not sure but it sounds incredibly lame.) So the car's owner, Justin Breno, decided to sell
And that's when things get bad for Big Bird and the other R33 that wasn't in a movie.
Breno listed the cars on eBay where an investigator for the DOT spotted them. The investigator contacted Breno pretending to be a buyer in Milwaukee (also in Wisconsin) wanting to know if the vehicle could be titled there. (You'll remember earlier in the story where Breno had the title revoked from Wisconsin and was thus forced to sell it.) Breno said that the buyer could register it in Florida and then get a title transfer to Wisconsin.
Then guess what happened? Wisconsin officials got all pissed off and started taking things personally. Bureaucrats do not like when you try to circumvent their rules. That's not how rules work in their brains. So Wisconsin charged him with a few felony counts for things like "conspiracy to commit fraud" and "possessing vehicles without vehicle identification numbers."
Wisconsin wanted to set an example of Breno. To tell everyone that you don't color outside the lines of the Wisconsin DMV. It worked, too. For attempting to sell a couple of cars, Breno was facing felony jail time. So he did what any sane, jail-fearing person would do: He signed the plea bargain that turned the cars over to the state. He's out $75,000 - $100,000 worth of cars, but gets to keep his freedom.
>According to a news report, Breno and the State tried to work out a deal where the cars would be sold and the profits given to a charity. That ultimately failed as the state couldn't determine if-- and where -- the car could be legally exported and who would be responsible if it failed.
So now, roughly two years later, the cars are finally in line for the crusher and one guy on Fundrazr is trying to help. "My favorite R33 Skyline GT-R was sezied in Wisconsin in 2010. Today it was announced that the car would be crushed on Wednesday 5/30/12. There are many problems with the case related to this car. I am going to do my best to stop it. The very least that should happen, the car should be sold for export only. "
It's a noble goal and he's somehow raised more than $2,000 of his arbitrary $5,000 legal defense fund. The trouble is, there's no action plan and, realistically, very little chance. The DA was happy with the case and finding a judge to overturn a plea bargain will be borderline impossible. Plus, with only one court day left until metal-meets-metal, you'd also have to find a judge who is willing to act -- against the DMV and the DA -- very quickly. That or he's looking to spend $5K on some sort of doomsday machine that disables the wrecking yard.
Still, it's always good to see car related passion on display and it's always a shame when a nice car pays the price for an owner's mistake.
(and is a main reason why ive never tried "illegally" buying a skyline)
Here's the skinny: In 2010 this yellow R33 Skyline GT-R was seized in Wisconsin. The car, like many Skylines at the time, was imported incorrectly -- not necessarily illegally -- and the DMV at the time didn't handle registration correctly and revoked the title to this and his other R33 GT-R. (You'll note that not all cars have a 17-digit VIN, that's something our DOT requires.) Wisconsin also has a law on the books preventing you from even owning a car without a valid VIN. (How that applies to racecars / track cars, I'm not sure but it sounds incredibly lame.) So the car's owner, Justin Breno, decided to sell
And that's when things get bad for Big Bird and the other R33 that wasn't in a movie.
Breno listed the cars on eBay where an investigator for the DOT spotted them. The investigator contacted Breno pretending to be a buyer in Milwaukee (also in Wisconsin) wanting to know if the vehicle could be titled there. (You'll remember earlier in the story where Breno had the title revoked from Wisconsin and was thus forced to sell it.) Breno said that the buyer could register it in Florida and then get a title transfer to Wisconsin.
Then guess what happened? Wisconsin officials got all pissed off and started taking things personally. Bureaucrats do not like when you try to circumvent their rules. That's not how rules work in their brains. So Wisconsin charged him with a few felony counts for things like "conspiracy to commit fraud" and "possessing vehicles without vehicle identification numbers."
Wisconsin wanted to set an example of Breno. To tell everyone that you don't color outside the lines of the Wisconsin DMV. It worked, too. For attempting to sell a couple of cars, Breno was facing felony jail time. So he did what any sane, jail-fearing person would do: He signed the plea bargain that turned the cars over to the state. He's out $75,000 - $100,000 worth of cars, but gets to keep his freedom.
>According to a news report, Breno and the State tried to work out a deal where the cars would be sold and the profits given to a charity. That ultimately failed as the state couldn't determine if-- and where -- the car could be legally exported and who would be responsible if it failed.
So now, roughly two years later, the cars are finally in line for the crusher and one guy on Fundrazr is trying to help. "My favorite R33 Skyline GT-R was sezied in Wisconsin in 2010. Today it was announced that the car would be crushed on Wednesday 5/30/12. There are many problems with the case related to this car. I am going to do my best to stop it. The very least that should happen, the car should be sold for export only. "
It's a noble goal and he's somehow raised more than $2,000 of his arbitrary $5,000 legal defense fund. The trouble is, there's no action plan and, realistically, very little chance. The DA was happy with the case and finding a judge to overturn a plea bargain will be borderline impossible. Plus, with only one court day left until metal-meets-metal, you'd also have to find a judge who is willing to act -- against the DMV and the DA -- very quickly. That or he's looking to spend $5K on some sort of doomsday machine that disables the wrecking yard.
Still, it's always good to see car related passion on display and it's always a shame when a nice car pays the price for an owner's mistake.