CITIZEN STAFF REPORT

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Wayne County, W.Va., man was sentenced to six years in prison in a warranty fraud scheme.

James “Jimmy” Pinson, 46, of Prichard, formerly of Crum, was convicted in December by a federal jury of wire fraud, mail fraud, aggravated identity theft and conspiring to commit money laundering. He received a six-year sentence March 3.

Pinson owned Big Blue Motor Sales, a Louisa used car dealership.

Also sentenced Thursday was Frank Russo, 69, of North Carolina. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud in July 2020 and was sentenced to two years.

Both men will be required to pay restitution of up to $4.3 million to Toyota, the Justice Department said.

Evidence at the three-day December trial indicated Pinson bought Toyota trucks at wholesale prices. He then obtained copies of Kentucky and West Virginia residents’ driver’s licenses and fraudulently titled the trucks in their names. He then persuaded Toyota to repurchase the trucks at 150 percent of their retail value, the Justice Department said in a news release.

Pinson allegedly forged signatures on 350 checks and deposited them into his bank account, the release said. He reportedly bought more trucks at wholesale and paid cash bribes to Russo and Stanley Clark, the Justice Department said.

Clark was sentenced earlier to 15 months.

“The excellent work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the FBI, the West Virginia State Police, the West Virginia Office of the Insurance Commissioner and the National Insurance Crime Bureau resulted in this defendant being brought to justice,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “I congratulate Assistant United States Attorneys Steven I. Loew and Andrew J. Tessman and the entire trial team for obtaining this guilty verdict.”

Pinson faced up to 22 years in prison plus a mandatory two-year sentence resulting from his aggravated identity theft conviction. Pinson is required to pay restitution to Toyota, and all property connected to the scheme is subject to forfeiture.

United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the trial.