The Bexar County Sheriff arrested 50-year-old auto dealer Modesto Steven Salazar on February 28, who allegedly ran an unlicensed dealership that sold vehicles with tampered paperwork. He now faces 20 third-degree felony counts.
Express News reported statements from the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO), stating that Salazar also faces charges for providing a false name or information on vehicle registration and altering government records.
It all began when BCSO’s crime division and the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) conducted a salvage vehicle inspection at 1523 Nolan St., according to the affidavit filed. The inspection led to documents that revealed that the business was being operated under “210 Mission Auto LLC.” Despite being officially registered, the business was registered to another address, which meant that the dealership was not officially licensed for the Nolan Street location.
Salazar informed investigators that the Nolan Street location was only meant to store vehicles so he could continue selling them to keep his business running, and that he had shut the officially licensed location. While he claimed that an unknown person allowed him to sell vehicles from the site over email, he failed to hand over a copy of the email.
The court documents also state that “Salazar changed his mailing address on Texas Vehicle Title Applications to 1523 Nolan St. and listed the seller’s name as ‘Steve Salavar.'” This rang alarm bells for investigators, who claim that Salazar offered false information on purpose to transfer ownership of a vehicle. In addition, he allegedly tampered with official government records with the intent that they would be accepted as genuine documents.
It is being reported that Salazar was released on Sunday after posting bond. However, if proven guilty, he could be sentenced to several years in prison for multiple felonies.
The affidavit highlights ten vehicles dealt with by Salazar. They include:
- 2013 Mercedes GL 550 (silver)
- 2011 Ford Fusion (blue)
- 2011 Ford Fusion (gray)
- 2013 Nissan Altima (silver)
- 2005 Ford 500 (silver)
- 2017 Chevrolet Sonic (black)
- 2018 Dodge Charger (black)
- 2006 Lincoln Town Car (black)
- 2003 GMC Yukon XL (white)
- 2009 Audi A4 (white)
