Lower Burrell man awaiting trial in illegal used car scheme avoids return to jail - TribLIVE

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A Lower Burrell man awaiting trial on 67 criminal counts of using fake identities to sell cars as a licensed dealer avoided having his bond revoked Friday for allegedly “brokering” another car sale last month in Delmont, but was instead admonished by a judge.

“From here on out, you are not permitted to participate in any vehicle sale transaction in any way, shape or form,” Judge Meagan A. Bilik-DeFazio told Christopher A. Post, 38, of Lower Burrell.

Bilik-DeFazio instructed Post to make good on a $1,500 restitution payment to one of the victims in the vehicle sale scheme within 10 days. Post is slated to go to trial on multiple charges Oct. 15 before Bilik-DeFazio.

Assistant District Attorney Anthony Iannamorelli asked Bilik-DeFazio to revoke Post’s $25,000 bond and commit him to jail after he was caught “brokering another car sale” in the parking lot of the Delmont Dairy Queen on July 14 as Lower Burrell Detective Zachary Beam looked on. He was released from the county prison Feb. 2 after posting bond, according to court dockets.

Iannamorelli told Bilik-DeFazio a condition of Post’s bond is that he is barred from selling vehicles. He told Bilik-DeFazio that District Judge Cheryl Peck Yakopec reminded Post during his June 23 preliminary hearing of the bond condition when he and his private attorney, Patrick Thomassey of Monroeville, opted to waive the multiple cases to trial.

“(Post) has been forging his father’s name and using other fake names to sell lemons, and then the buyers have no one to go back to when problems arise,” Iannamorelli said.

Beam testified he heard Post was continuing selling cars using social media after he waived his other cases to court so he set up a “potential buyer” for a Camaro that Post was selling.

Beam testified Post brought his father, Anthony Charles Post, along as he allowed the fake buyer to go for a test drive. Beam said a hearing on an additional charge of failing to have a required license to engage in auto sales is slated Sept. 14.

Post’s pending complaints include felony charges for dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, forgery and identity theft.

Thomassey argued to Bilik-DeFazio the sale the younger Post set up “was legal.”

“It was his father’s car. Your honor, his father was even there to sign the papers,” Thomassey said.

However, Iannamorelli noted Beam’s testimony that Christopher Post used a fake name on Instagram when he was advertising the car.

According to the original complaint Beam filed in January, Post pretended to hold licenses as a car dealer. Post advertised the cars, including used Nissans, Cadillacs and Land Rovers, in Facebook videos, police said in a criminal complaint filed in January.

Police accused Post of misleading advertising and said one of the cars he sold, a Nissan Maxima, had an inspection sticker date altered from 4-19 to 12-19, giving the false impression the vehicle was inspected.

After Lower Burrell opened an investigation in October 2019, court documents allege investigators found Post signed titles listing the seller as Anthony Charles Post, his father, in a number of transactions.

When police visited Anthony Charles Post at his Lower Burrell home about the transactions, the senior Post told police he didn’t know anything about owning the cars his son was selling.

The elder Post was in court Friday to testify on behalf of his son but was not called to the stand.

Paul Peirce is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Paul at 724-850-2860, ppeirce@triblive.com or via Twitter .

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Lower Burrell man awaiting trial in illegal used car scheme avoids return to jail - TribLIVE

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