When James Collins showed up to Bentley Atlanta with a 2012 Bentley Mulsanne, general sales manager Christopher Tuckley told Channel 2's Mike Petchenik he was suspicious.
"He called in Saturday and asked if he could have keys cut for his car, can we program his car," said Tuckley.
He said Collins then brought the car in and said he needed work done to it, but was going to have a friend pay for it. He said Collins also attempted to sell him the car, but Tuckley declined.
"I called Alpharetta Police Department, they ran the VIN number on the vehicle, it came back stolen," Tuckley said.
Tuckley said the dealer did some repair work to the car, and told Collins to come back in a few days. When he did, Alpharetta detectives were waiting to question him.
"He stated he had actually purchased the vehicle, that he promised to bring cash to the transaction when the wrecker company dropped the car off at the state line," said Alpharetta police spokesman George Gordon. "Of course he didn't have cash."
Gordon said detectives determined Collins posed as a popular rapper, then wired a bogus money transfer to the victim. By the time the victim realized the check was insufficient, Gordon said the car and its title were gone.
"The owner thought it was OK to put the Bentley on a wrecker and send it to the Georgia-Florida state line whereupon the Bentley was picked up," said Gordon. "Make sure you have cleared funds. Make sure the title process is done correctly to ensure that you don't become a victim."
Fulton County jail records indicate Collins remains behind bars without bond facing a theft by taking charge.
Police credit Tuckley's keen eye for helping them to corral the car. He told Petchenik the burgundy-colored car is likely one of about two in all of North America, so it caught his eye.
"We're on it. We check the VINs, he said. "If we don't know, we're going to check up," Tuckley said.
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