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Is buying/ Selling a Vehicle Without a title illegal?

I recently Purchased a 2010 Toyota Camry, I bought the vehicle with a bill of sale and the owner told me he will pay off the car and send me the title within 2 weeks, I called him a week later and asked him how it was going and how soon i would have the title, He cusses me out, tells me he cant get the title and says do what you want with the car, So next Day i list the car On a local Classifieds site online mentioning the car had no title and i dont know how to get it, Cops show up at my door a couple days later take the car and tell me i cant sell a car with no title, Turns out the guy a bought the car from rented from hertz rental and sold it to me, The police are trying to charge me with Fraud Invalid vehicle title, possession of stolen property and fraud selling vehicle with no title, what should i do?, Should i come to my court date alone and explain what happened or get myself a lawyer, I lost money, And the guy who sold me the stolen car gets away scotch free, i have his id number and his name, and cops don't care, Please don't insult me for making a dumb decision, Can i go to jail over something so stupid and not straightforward? Thanks. Please please help me.. And this is also My second car to be ever purchased, i am only 17 years old.

Public Comments

1. Get a good lawyer, document everything you can, and hope for the best. Do not go without a lawyer.
2. The answer to the main question is yes, it is illegal to sell a car without the title. You absolutely need a lawyer for that first court appearance. Not having one will have very, very bad consequences.
3. I've never heard of any such crime. Fraud would require some sort of misrepresentation on your part, and you certainly did not misrepresent that you had a valid, transferrable title. However, possession of stolen property is certainly a crime. Have you already been charged? If so, you'd better get a lawyer. Let your lawyer do the explaining.