2 Arrested in Sale of Car Lacking Smog Gear
The owners of a Mission Hills sports-car dealership have been arrested on suspicion of grand theft. They sold a car that lacked proper smog-control equipment, officials said.
The men, Michael Epstein, 31, of Hollywood and Robert Petricca, 44, of Marina del Rey, were arrested late Tuesday at their Sepulveda Boulevard dealership, the House of Corvettes and Classics, according to officials.
Investigators from the state Department of Motor Vehicles said the men sold a 1975 Corvette in September, 1984, to a Los Angeles woman for $9,217 that failed the state’s smog test because it lacked a mandatory catalytic converter. Investigators said that the woman took the car back to the dealership a month later and paid $2,364 to add a converter, but that the car still failed the test.
An attorney for Petricca said the $2,364 was paid for repairs, not smog equipment.
California law requires dealers to make sure equipment that reduces exhaust emissions is on cars at delivery. Dealers also must have certificates showing that the cars meet state emission-control standards.
Epstein and Petricca were released Wednesday on $1,500 bail. They are scheduled to be arraigned Dec. 10 in San Fernando Municipal Court.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
