Repo Man Jailed In Million-DollarFraud

KINSTON, N.C. - (04/08/05) -- A former repo man for StateEmployees CU was sentenced to more than 15 years in prisonWednesday for a sophisticated fraud which siphoned more than $1.2million from a local car dealer through the sale of phantom cars.Joe Barfield, 42, was also found guilty of paying kickbacks toemployees of the credit union giant to get them to continue usinghis services in vehicle repossessions. Between January and October2003 Barfield sold dozens of cars to the dealership that existed onpaper only; and others that existed but he didn't own. No one atthe dealership, Jack's Used Cars, noticed because their volume wasso great, authorities said.. Barfield used some of the proceedsfrom the scheme to buy new cars at other dealerships, then sellthem to Jack's at below Blue Book value.