I’m coming up on 18 years of Active Duty. I am too trusting of others and it seems that it bit me this time. I have a lot that can affect my career if I go about this the wrong way, but my childhood juvenile delinquencies want to bubble up and take over lol. I don’t screw around when there is $100 at stake, much less $15K ! Any officers in Stuart, PT Saint Lucie, FL area to help me out?
His Name: Spencer Edward Leon
Number: 772-323-6232 (probably changed by now)
Address: Only gives a PO Box and 803 SE Central PKWY # 13, Stuart FL. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t live there anymore. I have an address that I know for a fact I’ve seen him and the truck I bought there but don’t want him to know I know. I say this because he refuses to give me an address and seems to move around a lot.
Relatives: Eduardo Leon (Father) and Ernesto Leon (uncle)
History: I found a 2001 Black Lightning, 70K miles, 2FTZF07361CB06128 on Auto Trader on 12 March (80 miles from me in Stuart, FL). We spoke on the phone and texted back and forth for a couple days. We went over the truck’s history and condition. We agreed on a final price of $15,000. Then he tells me there is a small ding on the hood from where a wrench fell on it and his uncle is a paint and body guy at a local dealership and will fix it before I take delivery of the truck. I get a bank draft check from my credit union made out to myself and him. I was going out of town for a few days so we made arrangements to meet at his bank on 17 March because we both needed to sign the check. We both signed the check and deposited it into his account, then we’re told his bank is putting a hold on the draft until 28 March! He gave me no reason to be suspicious, so we agreed that he would hold onto the truck until the funds cleared. In the meantime I made 3 or 4 arrangements to meet up with him to sign a Bill of Sale. Every time it was a last min text saying he wasn’t available. This is with me scheduling time off to drive the 80 miles to meet him, I never asked him to go out of his way.
After asking numerous times if the dent was repaired, he told me yes 4 times, then when we were scheduled to meet up he would say that his uncle did not fix the dent yet. So 28 March is finally approaching and he agrees to meet up so I can pick up the truck..YAY!...Not so much. The morning of the 28th, we spoke on the phone and had it all planned out, he asked what time I would be leaving to head his way and I said 16:30 (sorry, military habit). I F’n knew it was too good to be true and KNEW that something was going to come up. At 1600 he texts and says the funds were still not released (BS) and then quickly says his uncle has still not finished the repair and some BS story of how his uncle wants him to pay for the repair, and oh BTW…He spent $1800 of my $15K for taxes and Title because he bought the truck 2 years ago and never titled it in his name nor paid sales tax.
29 March, I have no truck and he has my money. He says that this deal just wasn’t meant to be and wants to give me my money back, OK fine, I’ll meet you at your bank and get a cashier’s check. He asked for my address 2 or 3 times saying he will just mail my check back to me. I say for one, that’s not possible, my bank has already paid the check I gave you. For two, no way in hell am I taking a personal check. He says well I get paid on Apr 6th and you’ll have your money back then…WTF!! That’s not how this works! Every time we get close to a date that he gives me to either meet up or finish the deal, something ALWAYS comes up and another excuse is given and the date keeps getting pushed back. As of now we are supposed to meet up 2 Apr, I bet it doesn’t happen. I also predict I don’t get my money on the 6th.
So as of today (31 March)
- He has not replied or answered his phone in 2 days.
- I drove 80 miles to Martin County Sheriff’s Department and filed a Fraud Crime report (not to confident anything is going to get resolved soon).
- I have no truck and don’t have my $15K back.
- I did some scouting and found him and the truck but he did not stop anywhere public, only at the one address I don’t want him to know that I know.
- I know he has a suspended license
- Never got the tag # on the truck but he did tell me that it was from another one of his cars
- He refuses to give me the truck or whats left of my $15K (something is better than nothing)
Questions: I have a copy of the signed bank draft with our signatures, the draft is attached to a “Promissory Note” that has the trucks VIN on it. What can I do with this? Seems to me the truck should be mine.
ANY other info would be greatly appreciated.
His Name: Spencer Edward Leon
Number: 772-323-6232 (probably changed by now)
Address: Only gives a PO Box and 803 SE Central PKWY # 13, Stuart FL. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t live there anymore. I have an address that I know for a fact I’ve seen him and the truck I bought there but don’t want him to know I know. I say this because he refuses to give me an address and seems to move around a lot.
Relatives: Eduardo Leon (Father) and Ernesto Leon (uncle)
History: I found a 2001 Black Lightning, 70K miles, 2FTZF07361CB06128 on Auto Trader on 12 March (80 miles from me in Stuart, FL). We spoke on the phone and texted back and forth for a couple days. We went over the truck’s history and condition. We agreed on a final price of $15,000. Then he tells me there is a small ding on the hood from where a wrench fell on it and his uncle is a paint and body guy at a local dealership and will fix it before I take delivery of the truck. I get a bank draft check from my credit union made out to myself and him. I was going out of town for a few days so we made arrangements to meet at his bank on 17 March because we both needed to sign the check. We both signed the check and deposited it into his account, then we’re told his bank is putting a hold on the draft until 28 March! He gave me no reason to be suspicious, so we agreed that he would hold onto the truck until the funds cleared. In the meantime I made 3 or 4 arrangements to meet up with him to sign a Bill of Sale. Every time it was a last min text saying he wasn’t available. This is with me scheduling time off to drive the 80 miles to meet him, I never asked him to go out of his way.
After asking numerous times if the dent was repaired, he told me yes 4 times, then when we were scheduled to meet up he would say that his uncle did not fix the dent yet. So 28 March is finally approaching and he agrees to meet up so I can pick up the truck..YAY!...Not so much. The morning of the 28th, we spoke on the phone and had it all planned out, he asked what time I would be leaving to head his way and I said 16:30 (sorry, military habit). I F’n knew it was too good to be true and KNEW that something was going to come up. At 1600 he texts and says the funds were still not released (BS) and then quickly says his uncle has still not finished the repair and some BS story of how his uncle wants him to pay for the repair, and oh BTW…He spent $1800 of my $15K for taxes and Title because he bought the truck 2 years ago and never titled it in his name nor paid sales tax.
29 March, I have no truck and he has my money. He says that this deal just wasn’t meant to be and wants to give me my money back, OK fine, I’ll meet you at your bank and get a cashier’s check. He asked for my address 2 or 3 times saying he will just mail my check back to me. I say for one, that’s not possible, my bank has already paid the check I gave you. For two, no way in hell am I taking a personal check. He says well I get paid on Apr 6th and you’ll have your money back then…WTF!! That’s not how this works! Every time we get close to a date that he gives me to either meet up or finish the deal, something ALWAYS comes up and another excuse is given and the date keeps getting pushed back. As of now we are supposed to meet up 2 Apr, I bet it doesn’t happen. I also predict I don’t get my money on the 6th.
So as of today (31 March)
- He has not replied or answered his phone in 2 days.
- I drove 80 miles to Martin County Sheriff’s Department and filed a Fraud Crime report (not to confident anything is going to get resolved soon).
- I have no truck and don’t have my $15K back.
- I did some scouting and found him and the truck but he did not stop anywhere public, only at the one address I don’t want him to know that I know.
- I know he has a suspended license
- Never got the tag # on the truck but he did tell me that it was from another one of his cars
- He refuses to give me the truck or whats left of my $15K (something is better than nothing)
Questions: I have a copy of the signed bank draft with our signatures, the draft is attached to a “Promissory Note” that has the trucks VIN on it. What can I do with this? Seems to me the truck should be mine.
ANY other info would be greatly appreciated.
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