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FACEBOOK PHOTO
Facing charges — In a photo from David Gallentine's Facebook page, he is shown with a vehicle similar to the one a Sheriff's Office report described as stolen.
posted Dec 19, 2012 - 1:54:33pm
The Volusia County Sheriff's Office has charged a DeLeon Springs man with racketeering and fraud in connection with the man's report of the theft of his car.
David Gallentine was taken into custody Dec. 18, and a spokeswoman at the Volusia County Branch Jail said he was released later that day.
According to the Sheriff's Office, Gallentine told deputies he had been out of town with his family and discovered the car missing when he returned.
When deputies investigated the crime scene, the Sheriff's Office said, they found evidence that did not match up with Gallentine's story. Upon further investigation, they found that Gallentine's missing vehicle was actually a replica that had been built from parts of numerous vehicles and registered as an authentic "1932 Ford two-door."
The Sheriff's Office said Gallentine filed an insurance claim on the missing vehicle, which the insurance company had valued at $70,700.
The Sheriff's Office told this story of the case:
"One day in October, a distraught victim reported the theft of his treasured 1932 Ford Coupe from his garage. It was a passionate hobby project for the DeLeon Springs man, requiring substantial time and money. …
"Skeptical, determined investigators followed 43-year-old David Gallentine’s paper trail, gathering enough evidence to put him in jail on six charges, including racketeering and insurance fraud.
"Gallentine reported the car theft Oct.22 when he and his family returned to their home at 226 Spring Garden Ranch Road from an out-of-state trip. … Gallentine pointed out to a patrol deputy that someone had unscrewed and pried open the garage’s metal siding.
"Investigator Robert Campbell was assigned the case, and he went to the home to inspect the crime scene for himself. It didn’t take long for him to spot a few unusual facts that set off alarm bells in his mind. The alleged thief would have to know the layout of the garage interior in order to pry through the only section of wall not blocked on the inside by wood and tools. There were no footprints in the thick, loose sand around the garage. Several other items of potential value in the garage were left untouched by the thief.
"A driver would have to know about a special lever that had to be adjusted before the car could be driven. Campbell believed it was time to dig a little deeper into the old car’s history.
"Campbell asked for paperwork associated with the car, including receipts for parts Gallentine had purchased as he assembled the car. The objective was to collect the parts’ serial numbers in case the engine components turned up later. It was then that Campbell learned the car wasn’t really a restored original 1932 Ford, but rather a “recreation,” according to statements made by Gallentine.
"The investigator then spoke with Gallentine’s insurance agent and discovered Gallentine didn’t waste any time in filing a claim on the car, which the insurance company had valued at $70,700 based on information Gallentine had given them.
"Campbell and fellow investigator Aaron Blais interviewed Gallentine again. During the conversation, Gallentine mentioned that he expected his car to be found in pieces and he would then have to build the car from the ground up all over again.
"He had asked his insurance agent if after he got his $70,000 payout and if the car parts were found, could he buy the parts back at a discount. The investigators later asked the insurance agent about that conversation with Gallentine, and he recalled the man was very insistent on getting an answer to the buy-back question.
" … Gallentine agreed to do a voice-stress analysis (lie detector) test, and his results indicated that his answers to questions about insurance fraud and the whereabouts of the missing car were deceptive. An old friend of Gallentine's told investigators that several months ago Gallentine had told him about how someone could break into his garage through the wall. He also told his friend that he thought about 'fake stealing' the car in an effort to make money off of an insurance claim because he would never make enough money from just selling it.
"Investigator Blais then examined the car’s paperwork and learned that it was not an actual 1932 Ford, but rather a vehicle built and fabricated using several parts from numerous other vehicles. However, Gallentine had registered the vehicle as a '1932 Ford two door.'
"Blais coordinated with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and determined that Gallentine had titled the vehicle fraudulently. It should have been registered as an “assembled from parts” vehicle.
"Additionally, the paperwork filed with the insurance company claimed that the car was stored in an 'air tight garage,' which was clearly not the case. Gallentine’s paperwork also stated that the car had a 'new 302 Ford engine.' Investigators looked into the claim and learned that Gallentine had forged an engine bill of sale. The engine was actually one Gallentine had rebuilt.
"Finally, investigators Campbell and Blais determined Gallentine had engaged in a 'pattern of racketeering activity.' This resulted in his arrest on six charges: racketeering, passing a forged instrument, insurance fraud, filing a false statement with an insurance office, giving false information on a motor vehicle insurance application and fraudulently obtaining a motor vehicle title.
"Gallentine was taken into custody at his home Tuesday afternoon and transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach. The case is still active as investigators try to determine what happened to the reportedly stolen vehicle, which has yet to be found."
Reader Comments
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The rest of this sounds like a bunch of ****. The Investigators appear to know NOTHING about hot rodding and how custom cars are built. The insurance company appears to have neglected to appraise the finished car. Shame on them. They agreed to the value. Finally it appears the DMV didn't their Job if he wasn't supposed to file the papers the way they did, they should have caught it.
Again, if he stole it, prove it. The rest of this stuff is just grasping at straws and will easy be defeated in court.
The rest of this sounds like a bunch of ****. The Investigators appear to know NOTHING about hot rodding and how custom cars are built. The insurance company appears to have neglected to appraise the finished car. Shame on them. They agreed to the value. Finally it appears the DMV didn't their Job if he wasn't supposed to file the papers the way they did, they should have caught it.
Again, if he stole it, prove it. The rest of this stuff is just grasping at straws and will easy be defeated in court.
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