DMV Investigators:

Schenectady woman
forged car documents,
worked with local
used car dealer
She had initially been arrested
in June, accused of possessing
altered license plates
Steven Cook | September 29, 2019

Photographer: Shutterstock

SCHENECTADY - A Schenectady
woman worked with a local used car
dealer to fake vehicle transfer
documents, authorities allege.

Authorities with the state Department

of Motor Vehicles last week filed
charges against Sarah E. Partak, 38,
of Union Street, Schenectady, and
Daniel A. Sickles, 51, of Halfmoon.

Sickles is described in paperwork

filed in court as owner of Community
Auto & Truck sales, 430 Broadway,
Schenectady.

Sickles faces two counts in the

alleged scheme, while Partak faces a
total of 32 separate counts, according
to allegations filed in court.

The new charges against Partak also

follow charges filed against her in
June related to allegations she
possessed an altered license plate
and tampered with evidence.

Sickles and Partak were charged this

past week and accused of conspiring
to illegally sell vehicles under the
name of a Texas dealership, according
to the DMV allegations.

Partak is accused of transferring

ownership "of more than 10 vehicles
that she obtained from Community
Auto and Truck Sales" and multiple
auto auction locations while
representing herself to be an
authorized seller or agent of the Texas
dealership, when she was not actually
licensed in Texas.

Partak "defrauded vehicle purchasers

into believing they were purchasing
vehicles from an authorized
Seller/Agent" of the Texas dealership,
the DMV alleges.

Sickles "intentionally aided, and

profited from, Ms. Partak's illegal
conduct, bypassed laws and
regulations applicable to used car
dealerships operating in New York
State," the DMV investigators allege.

Authorities contend the scheme

lasted from April 2 to June 13.

Sickles faces one count of scheme to

defraud, a felony, along with one
count of fifth-degree conspiracy, a
misdemeanor.

Partak faces one count each of the

same charges as Sickles, as well as 18
counts of second-degree criminal
possession of a forged instrument, 10
counts of first-degree falsifying
business records and one count each
of third-degree welfare fraud and
first-degree offering a false
instrument for filing, all felonies.

The forged instrument and falsifying

records charges each relate to
separate alleged forged documents
Partak is accused of completing.

The welfare fraud and offering a false

instrument counts relate to
allegations she illegally received more
than $3,000 in food stamp benefits
from December to May by failing to
inform Social Services of her income
and employment.

Partak was arrested June 19 in

Schenectady and charged with one
count each of second-degree criminal
possession of a forged instrument
and tampering with physical
evidence, felonies.

She was accused then of possessing

an altered Texas dealer plate on a car
at her residence at about 10[40 a.m.
that day. The plate expired May 10,
but had been illegally altered to
extend its expiration date to June 30,
according to the police allegations.

A Schenectady County Sheriff's

deputy then told her motor vehicles
was coming to take the plates and
then "she intentionally removed those
plates from the vehicle and brought
them in her house" in an attempt to
conceal them, according to the
allegations filed then.

It was unclear from the June

paperwork filed in court what
prompted the exchange.