Colorado car dealer convicted for selling wrecked cars at clean prices

The owner of Camden Motors in Mesa County, Colo. was caught repairing 52 wrecked autos, then selling them.

Camden P. Fortney III was convicted of 21 felony counts for his involvement in a scheme to sell salvaged cars to consumers. The indictment includes theft, commercial bribery and conspiracy to commit commercial bribery through 2005 and 2008.

The owner of the licensed Colorado motor vehicle dealer in Grand Junction, Colo. faced claims from adjusters with the Colorado Casualty Insurance Co. that he purchased wrecked vehicles by repairing and reselling them, according to the indictment. Fortney rebuilt totaled cars and sold them to unsuspecting consumers by understating the extent of prior damage. Sometimes he claimed the vehicles had a full factory warranty, according to the indictment. Camden did not title the cars as salvaged, but "clean."