Russian Guy
Member
Let me start by saying I'm a huge fan of Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age, which by definition makes me a Josh Homme and his guitar which from 1992 to 2004 was none other than Ovation Ultra GP. Labeled by many as a "Les Paul killer" it features "a totally seamless transition between the neck and the body" to quote BigBeat from junkguitars.com. Instantly I fell in love with the sweet fat and rich tone this axe was producing. It was manufactured during only one year, 1984. The exact number of produced models is unknown but is believed to be somewhere between 400 and 600. In short I wanted to have this guitar. Thanks to Mr.Homme its price skyrocketed to $2500-3000.
In May of 2010 I have stumbled upon this ad http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1266726. Basically a guy from Cleveland, Ohio was selling a sunburst Ultra GP with OHSC. After exchanging a lot of emails with pictures I agreed to buy it from him for $2630 shipping included. At the end of May I wired the aforementioned sum to his bank account. Stupid I know.
By the way this is his bank info, address etc. So beware.
Bank: RBS Citizens NA dba Charter One Bank
Bank routing number: 241070417
Swift code:CTZIUS33
Beneficiary: Nicholas Licata
Account Number:0622329402
Address: 1336 W.65th Lower
Cleveland, Ohio 44102
A couple weeks after I wired him the money he emailed me saying he is busy working double shift so he couldn't ship it, he said that he wasn't taking my money and running. It was the last I've heard from him. He stopped answering my emails altogether and just disappeared.
I tried to recover the money by having my friend and former landlord from North Carolina contact Ohio Police Dept. First lady they put her through to told her to get a proof of wire transfer which I immediately did and sent her. After that there was another policeman on the line and he said that "the crime happened in Russia (sic!) and therefore Russian authorities should deal with it". That was a big "F*** you" from their side just wrapped beautifully in a politically correct fashion.
Fast forward to the summer of 2011.
A year later after the this whole incident I have put up with the fact that the guy stole from me and pretty much have given up. Of course I had this sting on the back of my neck all this time. I thought if the authorities haven't listened to the American citizen, then I don't even stand a chance.
On 6th of June I registered at the unofficial Ovation Fanclub message boards at http://www.ovationfanclub.com/. Fortunately there is a "For Sale" section on the boards where members post different ads of Ovation guitars being sold be it on Ebay, Craigslist or elsewhere. And what do I see on there - a link to some Craigslist ad where a guy in Cleveland, Ohio is selling a 1984 Ovation Ultra GP. Sounds familiar, right? This guy simply copy-pasted his ad from a different guitar forum (http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/forum/) where I contacted him in the first place not to mention the same pictures. So right off the bat I knew it was my guy.
I rushed to post about it on the Ovation Fanclub to warn the Ovationites about this guy. I also created a thread where I asked for help as to how to apprehend this guy. I ought to thank G8r, a member from the boards, who composed a whole list of places I can turn to. And the most legitimate of them was Ohio Attorney Office right here (http://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/comp ... craigslist). I got there by this link that he provided http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams. Interestingly enough it has a number of US federal agencies or agencies and only one local which turned out to be Ohio State Attorney Office.
So I got in touch with Ohio Attorney Office and they were the only ones that were of help really. I also sent messages to a couple of Federal agencies such as Internet Fraud Complaint Center and Cleveland Police Dept. But never heard from them.
I've had a number of Ohio investigators contact me via email requesting the details of this transaction which resulted in me being relieved of $2630. Finally they had Scott (don't want to disclose his name) from Consumer Protection Section, the investigator assigned to my case contact me and then I provided the details to him:
1) A proof of wire transfer,
2) Internet ads that the culprit posted,
3) His Craigslist ad which was deleted shortly after a wrote him an angry letter on the email that was on Craigslist,
4) Our email correspondence.
Thank God I had all the records of it.
From then on Scott kept me posted on what measure were being taken and how far he had moved with the case. He personally visited Licata's house only to find that he was renting it and no longer resided there. He then proceeded to contact with the Cleveland Police Dept. That's the part of the story where our first steps to catch the guys were mentioned i.e. you filing a report with Ohio Police Dept. I confirmed that you did that on my behalf trying to help me.
Some time later Scott found out through Police I presume that at the time Licata was on the run for outstanding warrant for a traffic accident.
To quote Scott:
"Good afternoon Vadim. Thought I would provide you with an update on the Nicholas Licata situation. I met with Licata with another agent from my office as well as two Cleveland Police Officers at Licata's house on Friday. This visit was unannounced to Licata as he failed to repsond to a prior personal visit, three of my three of my phone calls as well as an email I sent him. Licata was very much surprised by our visit. He did admit to transacting a deal for a guitar with you. However, he denied that he took your money without shipment. While I was interviewing Licata, it was revealed that he had an outstanding warrant related to a failing to appear in court for a traffic accident. He was thus arrested and brought into custody in Cleveland City Jail where he sat until the following day.
Since Licata was released on Saturday, I called him again today and left him a message. He quickly returned my call and he and I spoke for about 20 minutes. Again he at first continued to state that he sent the 84 Ovation to you. After several minutes of discussions, I told him that one lie can lead to another and that for his sake I hoped he was being truthful to me. Of course he claimed he had no receipts or other records of the shipment. He indicated that he sent the guitar via US Postal in June of 2010 so I told him I would check to verify such and call him back.
I was then told by a Postal Inspector I know well that any package sent by US Post Office must have a completed and signed Customs Declaration by the sender. The Postal Inspector told me that that he would look to verify if there really was a completed Customs Declaration around that time signed by Licata.
Licata then called me back and asked me how he could take care of this situation, hypothetically speaking. I suggested that might want to hold a little bit as there was someone searching for a Customs Declaration that he would have had to have signed when he sent the alleged package (guitar). I asked Licata if I call and tell that person to stop looking for the Customs Declaration. Licata then told me to tell the Postal Inspector to stop looking for it as it didn't exist.
The short of this is that Licata has agreed at this point to pay you back in full. He is going to cut a $500 cashier check to the Ohio Attorney General to me this Wednesday and then the remaining $2,130 by Monday, August 1st. Both of these checks will be sent down to our main office in Columbus, OH and then a check will for the full $2,630 will be made out in your name.
I thought you might have wanted to know some of the details of what transpired. I will let you know if anything changes.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Thanks. Scott"
That's the story of how they apprehended the guy. Then the issue arose with the cashing of the aforementioned check. I checked with all the banks in my hometown. Only one of them did that, well sort of. The bank assistant said that first the check will be transferred to their main office in Moscow for approval. He also added that at the moment he has 3 checks waiting for approval and it's been 3 months already and there was no decision form their main office. Even if they approved it after this long haul which I find disturbing, irritating and simply ridiculous they would charge a fee for cashing the check and it would be much more than the bank wire fee.
After this little research of my own I got back to Scott and asked if they could wire the check to my friend from NC. After that Scott contacted their Financial Section and they gave the green light to that transaction.
That's how I lost and recovered $2630.
P.S. Having researched Ovation electrics a little further and having bought Ovation Viper I decided to let the dreams of procuring go because no company, for me personally, could reach Guild in playability. To paraphrase Trent Reznor "Ovation Ultra GP is something I can never have".
P.P.S. After that hurtful experience Ultra GP kind of lost all the luster. Now when I look closer at its pics it looks somewhat more modern to me. And that's when I was turned to vintage Guilds. But that is another story...
Vadim
In May of 2010 I have stumbled upon this ad http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1266726. Basically a guy from Cleveland, Ohio was selling a sunburst Ultra GP with OHSC. After exchanging a lot of emails with pictures I agreed to buy it from him for $2630 shipping included. At the end of May I wired the aforementioned sum to his bank account. Stupid I know.
By the way this is his bank info, address etc. So beware.
Bank: RBS Citizens NA dba Charter One Bank
Bank routing number: 241070417
Swift code:CTZIUS33
Beneficiary: Nicholas Licata
Account Number:0622329402
Address: 1336 W.65th Lower
Cleveland, Ohio 44102
A couple weeks after I wired him the money he emailed me saying he is busy working double shift so he couldn't ship it, he said that he wasn't taking my money and running. It was the last I've heard from him. He stopped answering my emails altogether and just disappeared.
I tried to recover the money by having my friend and former landlord from North Carolina contact Ohio Police Dept. First lady they put her through to told her to get a proof of wire transfer which I immediately did and sent her. After that there was another policeman on the line and he said that "the crime happened in Russia (sic!) and therefore Russian authorities should deal with it". That was a big "F*** you" from their side just wrapped beautifully in a politically correct fashion.
Fast forward to the summer of 2011.
A year later after the this whole incident I have put up with the fact that the guy stole from me and pretty much have given up. Of course I had this sting on the back of my neck all this time. I thought if the authorities haven't listened to the American citizen, then I don't even stand a chance.
On 6th of June I registered at the unofficial Ovation Fanclub message boards at http://www.ovationfanclub.com/. Fortunately there is a "For Sale" section on the boards where members post different ads of Ovation guitars being sold be it on Ebay, Craigslist or elsewhere. And what do I see on there - a link to some Craigslist ad where a guy in Cleveland, Ohio is selling a 1984 Ovation Ultra GP. Sounds familiar, right? This guy simply copy-pasted his ad from a different guitar forum (http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/forum/) where I contacted him in the first place not to mention the same pictures. So right off the bat I knew it was my guy.
I rushed to post about it on the Ovation Fanclub to warn the Ovationites about this guy. I also created a thread where I asked for help as to how to apprehend this guy. I ought to thank G8r, a member from the boards, who composed a whole list of places I can turn to. And the most legitimate of them was Ohio Attorney Office right here (http://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/comp ... craigslist). I got there by this link that he provided http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams. Interestingly enough it has a number of US federal agencies or agencies and only one local which turned out to be Ohio State Attorney Office.
So I got in touch with Ohio Attorney Office and they were the only ones that were of help really. I also sent messages to a couple of Federal agencies such as Internet Fraud Complaint Center and Cleveland Police Dept. But never heard from them.
I've had a number of Ohio investigators contact me via email requesting the details of this transaction which resulted in me being relieved of $2630. Finally they had Scott (don't want to disclose his name) from Consumer Protection Section, the investigator assigned to my case contact me and then I provided the details to him:
1) A proof of wire transfer,
2) Internet ads that the culprit posted,
3) His Craigslist ad which was deleted shortly after a wrote him an angry letter on the email that was on Craigslist,
4) Our email correspondence.
Thank God I had all the records of it.
From then on Scott kept me posted on what measure were being taken and how far he had moved with the case. He personally visited Licata's house only to find that he was renting it and no longer resided there. He then proceeded to contact with the Cleveland Police Dept. That's the part of the story where our first steps to catch the guys were mentioned i.e. you filing a report with Ohio Police Dept. I confirmed that you did that on my behalf trying to help me.
Some time later Scott found out through Police I presume that at the time Licata was on the run for outstanding warrant for a traffic accident.
To quote Scott:
"Good afternoon Vadim. Thought I would provide you with an update on the Nicholas Licata situation. I met with Licata with another agent from my office as well as two Cleveland Police Officers at Licata's house on Friday. This visit was unannounced to Licata as he failed to repsond to a prior personal visit, three of my three of my phone calls as well as an email I sent him. Licata was very much surprised by our visit. He did admit to transacting a deal for a guitar with you. However, he denied that he took your money without shipment. While I was interviewing Licata, it was revealed that he had an outstanding warrant related to a failing to appear in court for a traffic accident. He was thus arrested and brought into custody in Cleveland City Jail where he sat until the following day.
Since Licata was released on Saturday, I called him again today and left him a message. He quickly returned my call and he and I spoke for about 20 minutes. Again he at first continued to state that he sent the 84 Ovation to you. After several minutes of discussions, I told him that one lie can lead to another and that for his sake I hoped he was being truthful to me. Of course he claimed he had no receipts or other records of the shipment. He indicated that he sent the guitar via US Postal in June of 2010 so I told him I would check to verify such and call him back.
I was then told by a Postal Inspector I know well that any package sent by US Post Office must have a completed and signed Customs Declaration by the sender. The Postal Inspector told me that that he would look to verify if there really was a completed Customs Declaration around that time signed by Licata.
Licata then called me back and asked me how he could take care of this situation, hypothetically speaking. I suggested that might want to hold a little bit as there was someone searching for a Customs Declaration that he would have had to have signed when he sent the alleged package (guitar). I asked Licata if I call and tell that person to stop looking for the Customs Declaration. Licata then told me to tell the Postal Inspector to stop looking for it as it didn't exist.
The short of this is that Licata has agreed at this point to pay you back in full. He is going to cut a $500 cashier check to the Ohio Attorney General to me this Wednesday and then the remaining $2,130 by Monday, August 1st. Both of these checks will be sent down to our main office in Columbus, OH and then a check will for the full $2,630 will be made out in your name.
I thought you might have wanted to know some of the details of what transpired. I will let you know if anything changes.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Thanks. Scott"
That's the story of how they apprehended the guy. Then the issue arose with the cashing of the aforementioned check. I checked with all the banks in my hometown. Only one of them did that, well sort of. The bank assistant said that first the check will be transferred to their main office in Moscow for approval. He also added that at the moment he has 3 checks waiting for approval and it's been 3 months already and there was no decision form their main office. Even if they approved it after this long haul which I find disturbing, irritating and simply ridiculous they would charge a fee for cashing the check and it would be much more than the bank wire fee.
After this little research of my own I got back to Scott and asked if they could wire the check to my friend from NC. After that Scott contacted their Financial Section and they gave the green light to that transaction.
That's how I lost and recovered $2630.
P.S. Having researched Ovation electrics a little further and having bought Ovation Viper I decided to let the dreams of procuring go because no company, for me personally, could reach Guild in playability. To paraphrase Trent Reznor "Ovation Ultra GP is something I can never have".
P.P.S. After that hurtful experience Ultra GP kind of lost all the luster. Now when I look closer at its pics it looks somewhat more modern to me. And that's when I was turned to vintage Guilds. But that is another story...
Vadim
