Charged With Bilking Buyers of $95,000 : La Crescenta Man Held in Auto Scam

A 27-year-old La Crescenta man who allegedly posed as an automobile dealer faces a preliminary hearing next week on charges that he bilked five people who wanted to buy foreign cars out of $95,000.

Daniel Ernest Rosendahl was arrested Friday and is being held on $50,000 bail at Los Angeles County Jail, Glendale police Sgt. Tom Thate said.

Rosendahl is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Tuesday in Glendale Municipal Court on four counts of grand theft and one count each of perjury and impersonation, said Bill Hall, senior special investigator at the Glendale office of the California Department of Motor Vehicles.

Rosendahl does not have the required state license to sell automobiles for profit, the DMV said.

10-Month Investigation

Hall said Rosendahl’s arrest at a Hollywood apartment was the culmination of a 10-month investigation by DMV officials.

During the past several years, Rosendahl posed as an automobile dealer by distributing flyers and placing newspaper advertisements claiming that he could inexpensively buy foreign automobiles and then have work done on the cars to meet California vehicle standards, Hall said.

When prospective buyers approached him, Rosendahl would request a down payment and often would travel to Europe to buy the cars, primarily Mercedes-Benzes and BMWs, Hall said. The buyers would send the balance of the purchase price to Rosendahl while he was out of the country, Hall said.

Rosendahl never delivered cars to two customers and returned to Glendale with the wrong cars for two other people, Hall said.

The fifth alleged victim gave Rosendahl $4,200 to have his car registered when the cost was about $500.