A federal grand jury has indicted a former general manager of West County Honda in Ellisville on fraud charges.
Federal prosecutors say 42-year-old William Cafarella’s alleged scheme caused more than $1.8 million in losses to the dealership.
Ellisville is located in west St. Louis County.
The indictment alleges that Cafarella caused the dealership to report 308 cars had been sold that had not been sold, causing the manufacturer’s warranty to begin running on each of the cars and decreasing the value of those vehicles to the dealership. The indictment alleges that Cafarella also “pocketed more than $50,000 in bribes and kickbacks from third parties” that did business with West County Honda. It’s unclear who those “third parties” are.
A federal grand jury has indicted Cafarella on four felony counts of wire fraud and one felony county of mail fraud.
A Justice Department spokeswoman tells Missourinet that Cafarella is not in custody, but is expected to appear in court next week. He now lives in Florida.
The FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are handling the investigation.