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Man, 72, Charged In Corvette Theft Ring
Friday, July 02, 2010
By Paula Reed Ward, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
When Daniel Ott, 72, walked into the Car Connection Superstore in New Castle
last summer to check out a 2003 Chevrolet Corvette, the salesman noted the man's
appearance.
Jason DeLillo described the customer as being "an older gentleman." He was wearing
bib overalls, looked in ill health and stood out especially because he was wearing
a surgical mask across his mouth and nose.
But Mr. DeLillo noted, it was around the time H1N1 was making it rounds, so he didn't
give it much thought.
"It's the oddest person you would think would steal a car," Mr. DeLillo said.
But, according to Mr. Ott's own account, that's exactly what he did -- more than 100 times.
He was indicted this week in federal court in Cleveland on charges of interstate transportation
of stolen property and aiding and abetting a chop shop. He was arrested and is in custody in
leveland awaiting trial.
According to an affidavit of probable cause in the case, Mr. Ott, of Akron, Ohio, told investigators,
that during his career as a car thief, he'd stolen more than 100 Corvettes.
In recent years, he would steal them for people running chop shops, he said, often filling orders.
e'd steal the cars, turn them over and get paid $1,200 for his efforts.
"Twelve-hundred dollars isn't a lot of money for a $50,000 car," said Lt. John Janowski, a police
officer in Strongsville, Ohio, who was involved in the Corvette ring investigation. "Instead of
looking at it like that, look at it as an hour's worth of work.
"That's not bad."
Corvettes, because of advanced electronic locking systems are more difficult to steal than less
expensive cars, Lt. Janowski said, so Mr. Ott had to be skilled at his craft.
"They're hard cars to get in, so he's good," the lieutenant said. "They're more trouble than
they're worth for the average thief."
And because Corvettes tend to be flashy, keeping one and driving around in it would likely lead
more quickly to getting caught.
"His turnaround time was very quick, so his chances of getting caught were less," Lt. Janowski said.
The way Mr. Ott worked, the officer said, is that he would often go to a dealer and either
test-drive a car, or get the keys and look inside it.
There are a few methods he could have then used to steal the cars, Lt. Janowski said.
He could have simply switched keys when looking at a car and given the dealer back a fake.
He could have brought putty with him to make a mold of the key to have a duplicate made later.
Or, the lieutenant said, he could have simply memorized the pattern of the key and had one cut later.
"There are guys [who] are that good," the lieutenant said.
For a year starting in May 2009, FBI agents tracked Mr. Ott's cell phone use to towers around
areas where 13 Corvettes were stolen in Ohio and one in Pennsylvania.
Agents doing surveillance also spotted Mr. Ott test-driving Corvettes and later driving cars
that had been stolen.
Search warrants on two different garages in Ohio found several other Corvettes and parts, v
alued at more than $225,000.
During an interview with Mr. Ott, agents showed him a chart listing Corvette thefts from
April 3, 2009, through May 5, 2010. The cars were valued at more than $700,000.
According to the affidavit, Mr. Ott admitted to stealing 13 Corvettes on the chart and stated he
"probably" stole four others but that he couldn't recall them specifically.
He told investigators he did the New Castle dealer "a favor," because he thought the 2003 gray
Corvette, valued at $23,900, was "a piece of junk."
Mr. DeLillo, who was busy working with two or three other customers when Mr. Ott entered the
dealership, said the man simply asked to look inside the car.
The salesman offered him a test drive, but Mr. Ott declined. Instead, he took the keys and sat
inside on the black leather seats for about 10 minutes.
When Mr. DeLillo returned to talk to him, he said Mr. Ott got out of the car and left.
"He said, 'I'm in a little bit of a hurry. I'll come back tomorrow.' "
The next day, the car was gone.
Lt. Janowski suspects the Corvette ring had been operating in his area for about four years.
After one of his detectives heard of other area dealerships having Corvettes stolen, they put together a task force.
Mr. Ott's criminal record goes back decades. One arrest, in Cuyahoga County for receiving
stolen property, was in May 1970.
He also served time in the Ohio Department of Corrections four different times, in 1983, 1987
and 1995. In those instances, according to the department, he was arrested for possession of
criminal tools, theft and falsification.
In February 1998, Mr. Ott pleaded guilty in federal court in Cleveland to transporting stolen
vehicles across state lines. He was ordered to spend 30 months in prison.
Then, just 10 months later, Mr. Ott went to trial on charges of transporting motor vehicles in
interstate commerce and possession of explosive materials by a convicted felon.
In that case, a jury convicted him, and he was ordered to serve an additional four years in
prison. He was released in January 2004.
COURTESY OF:
CJ'S CORVETTES - TOYS & COLLECTIBLES
ERIE, PA
www.cjscorvettes.com
Submitted by Phil Ellison
7/17/10
NMCA On Display At Super Nationals
January 29 - 31, 2010 marked the Super Nationals Custom Auto Show at the Lujan Complex
in Albuquerque. Thanks to the excellent work of Eric Goodman we had a great time and an
excellent display. All of the Corvettes in the display won awards. 1st place awards went to:
Eric Goodman
Donnie Marchi
Jacquelyn Haydu
Shane LeMon
Runner Up awards went to:
Steve Hopkins
Doug Arney
Eric Goodman also won three other awards with his Corvette and truck.
Overall a very good performance by the club when it came to receiving awards.
The club received good participation from the members when it came to manning
the display.
A thank you to all who participated!
Submitted by Stephen Hopkins
3/19/10
Corvettes In The Jemez
June 13th NMCA headed north to Los Alamos to play and show their cars with fellow Corvette enthusiast from the Atomic Corvette Club for an event called Corvettes In The Jemez. Dan Bond won 1st Place in C5, Steve Hopkins won 1st place in C3, and Lori Jordan won Best of Show. The Piston Cup trophies were cool. The weather was beautiful as was the setting. Many of our club members participated, including Rich Sherman, Doug & Cathy Arney, Dan & Peggy Pearson, and Phil Newman.
Submitted by Stephen Hopkins
9/10/09
NMCA Gets On The Calendar
May 23rd and 24th turned out to be a very good weekend for NMCA members. This was the weekend for the annual Route 66 Casino car show where the top entries would be selected and featured on a special Route 66 calendar. Four NMCA members had their cars chosen to be on the Route 66 Casino Calendar; Dan Bond's 1999 White C-5, Mike Rothman's 2002 Blue Z06, Eric Goodman's 1962 Chevy Impala and of course Lori Jordan's slightly modified 2001 C-5. Congratulations!
Submitted by Stephen Hopkins
9/10/09
More stories can be viewed using the "News & Stories" link
NMCA, PO Box 91355, Albuquerque, NM 87199 :: info@nmcorvette.org