4505.19 Prohibited acts involving certificates of title.

4505.19 Prohibited acts involving certificates of title.

(A) No person shall do any of the following:

(1) Procure or attempt to procure a certificate of title or a salvage certificate of title to a motor vehicle, or pass or attempt to pass a certificate of title, a salvage certificate of title, or any assignment of a certificate of title or salvage certificate of title to a motor vehicle, or in any other manner gain or attempt to gain ownership to a motor vehicle, knowing or having reason to believe that the motor vehicle or any part of the motor vehicle has been acquired through commission of a theft offense as defined in section 2913.01 of the Revised Code;

(2) Purport to sell or transfer a motor vehicle without delivering to the purchaser or transferee of it a certificate of title, a salvage certificate of title, or a manufacturer’s or importer’s certificate to it, assigned to the purchaser as provided for in this chapter, except as otherwise provided in this chapter;

(3) With intent to defraud, possess, sell, offer to sell, counterfeit, or supply a blank, forged, fictitious, counterfeit, stolen, or fraudulently or unlawfully obtained certificate of title, registration, bill of sale, or other instruments of ownership of a motor vehicle, or conspire to do any of the foregoing;

(4) Knowingly obtain goods, services, credit, or money by means of an invalid, fictitious, forged, counterfeit, stolen, or unlawfully obtained original or duplicate certificate of title, registration, bill of sale, or other instrument of ownership of a motor vehicle;

(5) Knowingly obtain goods, services, credit, or money by means of a certificate of title to a motor vehicle, which is required to be surrendered to the registrar of motor vehicles or the clerk of the court of common pleas as provided in this chapter.

(B) Whoever violates this section shall be fined not more than five thousand dollars or imprisoned in the county jail or workhouse not less than six months nor more than one year, or both, or in a state correctional institution not less than one year nor more than five years.

Effective Date: 01-01-2004