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 Cleveland 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. He'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, valued 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