Car Broker Surrenders in Theft Case
A car broker charged with 16 counts of grand theft and operating without a salesman’s license has surrendered to police, authorities said last week.
John Davis Allsbury, 38, turned himself in to police Wednesday after his attorney and police worked out the details of his surrender, Police Capt. Dave Hinig said.
Allsbury, an Arcadia resident, was arraigned in Pasadena Municipal Court that afternoon and was released after posting a $50,000 bond, Hinig said. Allsbury was accompanied by his attorney, Doug Trousil, when he arrived at the Police Department, Hinig said.
Los Angeles Deputy Dist. Atty. Walt Lewis said a preliminary hearing for Allsbury, who pleaded not guilty during the arraignment, is scheduled for June 20. Allsbury and Trousil could not be reached for comment.
Allsbury was charged April 27 with eight counts of grand theft and eight counts of selling cars without a license, Lewis said. The charges stemmed from Allsbury’s car brokering business, Auto Marketing Concepts, 159 E. Huntington Drive.
Other Evidence
The charges were based on eight brokering deals Allsbury handled, but Lewis said there is evidence of other misdealings.
James Lee Roper, general manager at Auto Marketing Concepts, has been charged with four counts of grand theft and three counts of operating without a salesman’s license, Lewis said.
Lewis said charges were filed against Allsbury and Roper after months of investigation prompted by complaints from the Department of Motor Vehicles, car dealers and some of Allsbury’s former customers.
Customers and car dealers for whom Allsbury acted as a go-between told authorities that Allsbury defrauded them of between $12,000 and $59,000, Lewis said.
Allsbury’s customers paid him to purchase cars from dealers of autos, such as Jaguar, Mercedes Benz and Toyota, Lewis said.
When dealers discovered Allsbury had given them bad checks, they repossessed the cars from buyers, he said.
Complaints against Allsbury date from November, 1987, to February, 1989, Lewis said.
