PHOENIX – Randall Cepi, of Winslow, is accused of using a stolen identity to purchase a sports car and stick the victim with the bill. Cepi was arrested on a felony warrant after detectives with the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General brought the case before a grand jury.
In March of last year, Cepi, age 31, used the personal information of a customer at the dealership where he was employed in Winslow to purchase a 2007 Chevrolet Corvette from a dealership in Flagstaff.
The victim came into the Nissan dealership where Cepi worked and bought a new half-ton pickup. About a week later, Cepi used her personal information to obtain a loan to buy the Corvette. He arranged to have the victim’s signature forged on the dealership and loan documents.
A few weeks later, the victim became aware of the scheme when she received insurance and loan information for a vehicle she did not purchase. She filed a complaint with ADOT’s Office of Inspector General, and detectives with the Dealer Investigation Unit opened an investigation.
The dealership in Flagstaff was made aware of the situation and called Cepi, demanding that he return the Corvette. Instead, he abandoned the sports car at the dealership in Winslow where he worked and disappeared.
While searching for Cepi, ADOT detectives brought the case before a grand jury where the felony warrant was issued.
Cepi was found working at a dealership in Gallup, New Mexico where he was arrested by local authorities on July 29. He will be extradited to Arizona to face charges of fraud schemes and forgery, theft of means of transportation and taking the identity of another.