CAR SCAM BUSTED; DEFENDANT PLEADS GUILTY

Auto Thief to Pay Back All 26 Victims and Insurers

Atlanta-Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard announces the conviction of a major Atlanta auto thief who conned owners out of their cars and resold them between June of 1998 and November 2003. Mark Avery Husbands of Atlanta pleaded guilty to 21 counts of felony theft by taking and forgery in the first degree. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison with 10 years to be served. He was also ordered to make restitution and has already deposited $109,000 (one-hundred-nine thousand) into an escrow account to begin paying back the 26 individuals and the insurance companies he fleeced.

The 35-year-old Husbands made a lucrative living by having duplicate keys made to his neighbors' cars (mostly Hondas) and stealing them. He would place ads in local newspapers and sell the stolen cars for cash, always providing the buyer with phony bills of sale and title certificates. Husbands would convince the prospective buyers he was giving them a deal by selling the late model cars for between $3000 and $6000 cash.

He used fake names and listed a fictitious South Carolina address on the titles.

Assistant District Attorney Brad Malkin, head of the Fulton County D-A's White Collar Crime Unit, prosecuted the case with invaluable assistance from former FBI agent, Pete McFarlane, who is now with the Auto Crime Unit of the GA Department of Motor Vehicle Safety. Malkin says several victims not only lost their money, but found out their cars were stolen while trying to register them, or after being stopped for a minor traffic violation.

District Attorney Paul Howard says of the conviction, "Because of the outstanding work of the Georgia Department of Motor Vehicle Safety, this white collar crook is off the streets and is exactly where he should be--in jail! He has caused innocent citizens to lose money and even caused one victim to spend a night in jail. Our community is better off with him in prison."

The case was presided over by Superior Court Judge M. Gino Brogdon. In addition to time in prison, Husbands must perform 300 hours of community service, receive psychological counseling and write letters of apology to his victims

CONTACT: Lyn Vaughn, 404-224-0560 (office); 404-533-1381 (pager)