Two former California Highway Patrol (CHP) officials have been tried for allegedly accepting bribes from owners of two gray market cars in exchange for a fake registration.
The vehicles, a 2003 Ferrari Enzo and a 2014 Koenigsegg Agera, were not legally imported and registered in the USA and therefore qualify them as a “gray market”. The term applies to all imported vehicles that have not passed the required state crash and emissions tests and are therefore not registered, which makes it illegal in some states and cases.
Reportedly, the two former officials took $ 35,000 in 2016 to change the supercars’ DMV and Carfax papers to look like they legally belonged on California’s freeways. They face four charges of conspiracy and three cases of taking bribes in connection with a plot.
“It is the job of CHP officials to keep our streets and the people of California safe and secure. Any law enforcement officer who misuses this power for his own benefit should be held accountable, “California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “Bribery is a serious crime and these alleged acts have no place in California law enforcement.”
The 2003 Ferrari Enzo is known for selling for $ 3 million and up, while the ridiculously fast one Königsegg Agera costs around $ 1.5 million.
