DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A Decatur man is furious after he says Lilburn Mayor Johnny Crist sold him a faulty car. The mayor's Craigslist ad advertised the 2006 Volvo as "gorgeous, flawless."
"He told me all this stuff about it and it all turned out to be lies," said Gregory Javo, who purchased the vehicle.
Crist, who is also a pastor, told Channel 2's Rachel Stockman he did not know there were any problems with the used car, and believed it had a brand new engine.
"I advertised it on Craigslist and a man showed up and bought it. He didn't do any background on it. He just took 20 minutes and bought the car based on what I said," Crist said.
The mechanic that Javo hired said the car had a host of problems, including a faulty engine.
“He’ll be driving down the road, he will be in the middle of highway, and that engine could cut off in the middle of the highway,” said Victor Flores, a mechanic from MBM of Decatur.
“It is a faulty engine. That’s no fault of mine. I had it put in by a reputable Volvo company,” Crist said.
Javo admitted he made a mistake by not checking the car out, but said he trusted Crist.
“I took the car because he is such an honest man," Javo said. "He even prayed with me for the safety of the car because I told him how much I traveled."
Channel 2 Action News learned that Crist's name is not on the title of the car. The title of the car lists a man with an Illinois address.
“We have that tax you have to pay and because I’ve had this thing for a year, sitting around 8 months. I just went from him to the new owner,” Crist told Stockman.
Crist admitted he did not pay the ad volorem tax, but promised to do so, after Channel 2 Action News questioned him about it.
Crist also said he plans to return Javo's money Thursday. The Georgia Department of Revenue says they are looking into the matter.
WSBTV
