City puts brakes on illegal car sales
BY STEFANO ESPOSITO Staff Reporter/sesposito@suntimes.com
Up until now, they’ve all but laughed at the Town of Cicero’s attempts to stop them.
Unlicensed dealers roll into town, park their priced-to-move used cars on almost any street they please and sell the entire stock in a matter of hours, town officials and licensed car dealers say.
Illegal car dealers could face a $750 fine per vehicle sold in Cicero, up from the $25 traffic citation. AP
In some cases, the illegal dealers set up shop right across the street from a legitimate dealer, telling anyone who complains to butt out. The crooks have even been known to tear up the $25 traffic citations police have issued them.
But on Tuesday, Cicero’s trustees — at the urging of the town’s licensed car dealers — unanimously voted to give authorities a new tool: The ability to impose a $750 fine per illegal car sale.
“We want these guys to know that when they bring these [cars] in, they’re going to be in for a world of hurt,” said Ray Hanania, town spokesman. “We’re going to catch ’em.”
But Hanania said the town needs the public’s help in reporting illegal sales while they’re occurring so that police can catch the dealers in the act. In the past, by the time police show up, the cars have already been sold or moved somewhere else.
The street-side dealers have been selling used cars illegally for years, but their cut-price merchandise has been in greater demand since the economy tanked, legitimate dealers say.
“It’s like someone coming in front of your grocery store and selling fruit, and you pay all of the costs of operating and the [other] guy has zero costs,” said Ben Borbor, owner of Public Auto Inc.
Police suspect there are hundreds of these illegally sold cars cruising the streets of Cicero, Hanania said. The dealers typically are from out of state and target Cicero’s Hispanic population, Hanania said. The cars are often stolen, authorities suspect.
“On the face of it, it may look like a good opportunity for somebody to get a set of wheels on the cheap, but [the buyers] are really throwing the dice,” Hanania said.
