Montecito Motors Owners Arrested
Adam and Chet Taylor Charged with 59 Counts, Including Conspiracy, Grand Theft, and Forgery
The owners and operators of Montecito Motors, who at one time claimed their business was beleaguered by a downtrodden economy, were charged on Tuesday morning with 59 criminal counts, including conspiracy, grand theft, forgery, and filing false tax returns. The charges go back to March 2004 and extend until October 2010, a month after the high-end used car business closed. The Santa Barbara Independent originally reported suspicions and customer complaints about Montecito Motors in September 2010; that article can be read here. The follow-up, December 2010 story is here.
Named in this week’s complaint are Chet Taylor, his son Adam, daughter Sarah, and wife Jennifer. Chet and Adam were taken into custody Tuesday morning and are expected to be in court Thursday morning. Their bail has been set at $1 million each, a number Adam Taylor’s attorney Joshua Lynn called “insanely high.”
The Taylors are suspected of stealing more than $1 million from 26 different victims. The complaint alleges Adam and Chet Taylor illegally obtained duplicate titles, forged signatures, and lied to owners of vehicles that had been sold. They would delay payments or not pay owners of vehicles at all.
