Q: Is it illegal to change the name of the legal or registered owner of a car if the car is impounded in California?
I bought a car from a private seller. He purchased the car from a tow yard in a lien sale a few days before he sold it to me so the car was never registered to him. He gave me all the paperwork from the sale and all the info of the registered owner so I can the title transferred to my name.. anyways I was driving to get the smog done when I got pulled over. They impounded the car. I had a moving permit and all the paperwork the bill of sale with the guy I bought the car from name as the seller along with the paperwork with the name of the registered owner and his address. I gave everything to the officer. When he gave me the ticket he had wrote the guy that I bought the car from down as the registered owner but the dmv records didnt show his name connected to the car ever. The car was impounded on Aug 10 the guy I bought the car from was notified since his name was down as the registered owner he then registered the car in his name Aug 17 picked the car up Aug 17 and is trying to sell
A:
more info is needed.
this is not a personal injury matter but rather a civil litigation matter at best.
i would set up a consultation with a local lawyer to review paperwork and see if s/he can assist.
it also looks like the seller is trying to commit a fraudulent sale and that aspect might be criminal if the facts all line up.
you may wind up with a small claims matter vs seller AND police dept.
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