State of Oklahoma v. S.M.

Tulsa, Oklahoma, criminal defense lawyer represented the defendant charged with buying, selling, transferring, or possessing a motor vehicle or parts with altered vin in violation of 47 O.S. 1503(C), which provides:

C. 1. Any person who buys, disposes, sells, transfers, or possesses a motor vehicle or motor vehicle part, with knowledge that the vehicle identification number of the motor vehicle or motor vehicle part has been altered, counterfeited, defaced, destroyed, disguised, falsified, forged, obliterated, or removed, upon conviction is guilty of a Class D1 felony offense, punishable by imprisonment as provided for in subsections B through F of Section 20N of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes, or by a fine of not more than Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00), or by both such imprisonment and fine.

2. The provisions of paragraph 1 of this subsection shall not apply to a motor vehicle scrap processor who, in the normal legal course of business and in good faith, processes a motor vehicle or motor vehicle part by crushing, compacting, or other similar methods, provided that any vehicle identification number is not removed from the motor vehicle or motor vehicle part prior to or during any such processing.

3. The provisions of paragraph 1 of this subsection shall not apply to any owner or authorized possessor of a motor vehicle or motor vehicle part which has been recovered by law enforcement authorities after having been stolen or where the condition of the vehicle identification number of the motor vehicle or motor vehicle part is known to or has been reported to law enforcement authorities. It shall be presumed that law enforcement authorities have knowledge of all vehicle identification numbers on a motor vehicle or motor vehicle part which are altered, counterfeited, defaced, disguised, falsified, forged, obliterated, or removed, when law enforcement authorities deliver or return the motor vehicle or motor vehicle part to its owner or authorized possessor after it has been recovered by law enforcement authorities after having been reported stolen.

Dismissed.