Roslyn Car Salesman Sentenced to Prison for Scamming Buyers Out of $380K

A used car salesman who worked at dealerships in Roslyn and Rockville Centre was sentenced Monday to 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from customers and his employers, according to Nassau County District Attorney's Office.

Michael McGriff, 43, of Freeport, was ordered to pay $365,546.00 in restitution to the people he scammed.

McGriff pleaded guilty in July to charges from two separate indictments of second-degree grand larceny, seven counts of third-degree grand larceny, first-degree identity theft and first-degree scheme to defraud.

Between 2009 and 2013, McGriff defrauded at least 17 customers and three auto dealerships, including Lexus of Rockville Centre and Port Motors Lincoln Mercury in Roslyn, out of $381,846, the DA said. McGriff would collect down payments for cars and pocket the cash instead of giving it to the dealer, officials said. Customers would then have to make up for the loss by signing contracts that did not reflect their payments and would end up paying higher monthly rates, the DA said.

In another scheme at Port Motors, authorities said McGriff collected cash payments in full for used cars and caused forged finance contracts to be filed with multiple banks without the customers knowing. The customers had cars repossessed when they refused to pay back the phony loans, the DA said.

In a third scam, McGriff operated under the alias Michael Glinn and claimed to be part of the nonexistent Titanium Auto Group in Uniondale, officials said. He ended up stealing $12,900 in cash to apparently buy a car at auction for a victim from Valley Stream, the DA said.

Customers reported their dealings with McGriff to the dealership which, in turn, reported to police. He was arrested in April 2015.

“Buying a car can be a stressful experience, and this defendant took advantage of his customers’ trust when he stole more than $350,000 from car buyers and dealerships,” Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said in a release.

Photo: Nassau County District Attorney's Office.