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Richard Grassi was charged with third-degree grand larceny after scheming to inflate his commission from car purchases made at Mike Ceretta Auto Sales in New Rochelle, N.Y., Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino Jr. announced Thursday.
While he was employed at the dealership, one of Grassi’s jobs was to purchase cars from other dealerships and then sell them for a profit at Ceretta, Scarpino said. He then received a commission from those sales.
Between November 2013 and April 2015, Grassi stole $24,000 from Ceretta by submitting false invoices for cars purchases in an effort to increase his commission, Scarpino said. Those false invoices indicated that the vehicles he purchased from other dealers were for less money than they actually cost, so the commission would be higher when they were sold, he said.
The investigation was conducted by the District Attorney’s Office and New Rochelle Police Department. Grassi has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has been released on his own recognizance.
Grassi is due back in court Sept. 11. He could face up to seven years in state prison if convicted.
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