LI Car Salesman Accused Of Stealing From Customers

LONG ISLAND, NY — A Bay Shore car salesman was arrested Thursday after stealing thousands of dollars from customers at various dealerships across Long Island, authorities said.

Jose Amezquita, 37, was charged with grand larceny, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini.

Between June 2019 and July 2019, Amezquita, while working at South Shore Nissan in Amityville, told a customer she could surrender her 2019 Nissan Pathfinder to the dealership and it would be sold on her behalf, Sini said. He told the woman she would only be liable for the amount owed on her car loan after the sale was complete, Sini said.

On July 2, 2019, at Levitico Car Care in Copiague, Amezquita sold the Pathfinder to a second customer for $15,000 and took the money for himself rather than submitting them as payment on the car loan, Sini said. The car was later repossessed.

Then on Sept. 20, 2019, while working at South Shore Nissan, Amezquita stole $2,000 from a man after falsely promising him the money would be used to pay for a driver’s license and the outstanding balance on his car insurance policy, Sini said.

"Our investigation revealed that this individual has allegedly been scamming multiple victims by gaining their trust as an employee of reputable car dealerships, then stealing their money," Sini said in a statement. “Many of the victims we have identified through this investigation have been members of the Hispanic community, and we believe there may be others."

Amezquita was charged with two counts of third-degree grand larceny and one count of fourth-degree grand larceny.

He was also arrested in January and charged with third-degree grand larceny after Sini said he stole $3,175 from a victim for a car that was never purchased.

Amezquita was arraigned on the charges Wednesday in Suffolk County 1st District Court and released on his own recognizance. He is due back in court Dec. 15. If convicted of the top count, Amezquita faces a maximum sentence of two to seven years in prison.

Sini said anyone who believes they were a victim of Amezquita to contact the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office at 631-853-4232 or by emailing InfoDA@suffolkcountyny.gov.