ALBANY — The general manager and a salesman at a popular Albany car dealership are the targets of a theft investigation after dealership authorities alerted deputies that suspicious activity was taking place.
Joseph Cliff Martin, the general manager of the Albany Carl Gregory dealership, was arrested Aug. 27 by Dougherty County Sheriff’s Deputies after they learned from officials at the dealership that Martin was involved in a scheme to steal customers’ down payments, investigators say.
Deputies are still looking for Kenneth Mark (Bo) Kennedy, 41, a car salesman who they believe was also involved in the scheme.
Martin has been charged with one count of theft by taking of a motor vehicle, three felony counts of theft by taking and four misdemeanor counts of theft by taking.
Warrants against Kennedy include six felony theft by taking counts and four misdemeanor counts, Dodd said.
“Basically, they would allow customers to put down earnest money or a down payment and let them drive off with the vehicle for a period of time before calling them up and saying ‘hey, we’re sorry but the financing fell through and your earnest money had to pay for GAP insurance’ or something like that,” Capt. Craig Dodd said. “And then they would just pocket the money and get the cars back.”
Dodd said investigators have uncovered more than $9,000 in stolen money.
Carl Gregory, the chairman of Carl Gregory Enterprises Inc., said he was disturbed to learn of the thefts and said that steps were taken immediately to uncover the deception.
“As soon as we learned about it, we started an investigation and then turned everything over to the sheriff,” Gregory said. “This kind of behavior is something that we just don’t tolerate.”
As a result of the thefts, Gregory said that he plans to alter his company’s personnel policy to require more thorough screening of would-be employees, including a criminal background check.
Had a background check on Kennedy been run, dealership officials might have discovered a long history of criminal behavior that spans at least two Southwest Georgia counties.
According to officials at the Tift County Sheriff’s Office, Kennedy is still facing charges of theft by conversion and deposit account fraud stemming from a December 2006 incident in which he allegedly took a cash payment from a customer while working at Tifton Suzuki and used it himself.
He was booked and released from the Tift County Jail on those charges, Tift County Public Information Officer David Haire said.
Gregory said he plans to honor the aggreements made by the two to area customers who were legitimately victimized and said that the incident will not affect the relationship he and his company has with Albany — a relationship started nearly 20 years ago.
“Our customers are our lifeblood, and I know and understand that,” Gregory said. “So when someone in my company is accused of acting in this kind of way, we’re obligated to try and make it right.”
Martin was arrested at his Marsh Landing apartment after investigators saw a 2008 Hyundai Sonata from Carl Gregory parked next to his vehicle. Martin had reported the car stolen, but investigators believe he loaned it out and couldn’t immediately put his hands on it when his superiors began asking questions.
Anyone with information on the wherebouts of Kennedy is asked to call the Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office at (229) 431-2166.
