Tennessee Boat Dealer Accused Of Fraud

A Tennessee boat dealer is facing charges following allegations that she sold the same boats to multiple owners.

Carolyn Dianne Hopkins, owner of Tige and Mastercraft dealership Pickwick WaterSports, located in Counce, Tenn., is reported to have been charged by local authorities on five separate affidavits for theft.

Local media report that customers arrived at the dealership looking for their boats, only to find the building empty. “One day I walked in. There were no boats, no her, and no money,” former customer Dana Capocaccia told LocalMemphis.com. “So I called the sheriff and they informed me I was one of several who had called or were calling at the same time.”

Capocaccia says he purchased three high-end boats from Hopkins, only to learn they had subsequently been re-sold to other people. Because Tennessee law does not require boats to be titled like cars or motorcycles, it is possible for them to be re-sold without the owner’s knowledge. Under state law, the holder of the most recent bill of sale would be considered to be the legal owner of the boat. Mr. Capocaccia’s boats were said to have been sold at least twice since he bought them, leaving him with a loss in excess of $200,000.

Pickwick WaterSports is said to have offered its customers free boat storage, encouraging customers to leave their newly-purchased boats with the dealership when not in use. “They would take them out and ski in them and bring them back in,” Capocaccia said. “She knew where the customers lived and knew it was highly unlikely they would come and converge at the same time.”

State authorities, including Tennessee state senator Mark Norris, have indicated that laws requiring boats to be titled need to be implemented in order to prevent similar situations in the future.