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A former
member of the New York Football Giants was found guilty of a 3rd degree
theft charge on Tuesday, said Union County Prosecutor Theodore J.
Romankow.
Damian Johnson, 46, of Bridgeton, was found
guilty of 3RD theft by
failure to make required disposition of property received, said Assistant Prosecutor Colleen Ruppert, who
handled the case.Johnson represented himself during the two-week trial.
According to the investigation, in 2000, he
sold a Mercedes-Benz 500 SEL to a friend who was also a business
associate. At that time, the car was leased through a leasing agency to
Johnson’s wife, said Ruppert. The couple has since divorced.
At the time of the sale, Johnson told the
friend, who put a $500 deposit on the vehicle and took possession of the
car, that he would get him the purchase price for the remainder of the
balance and would deliver the title, said Ruppert.
The sale was finalized two years later, when the buyer paid Johnson the
balance of $27, 200 by check. Thereafter, he never delivered the title of
the vehicle and pocketed the $27,200.
In November 2002 the leasing company reported
the car as stolen after it was not surrendered at the end of the leasing
term. The victim was detained in 2004 while driving in Berkeley Heights,
on suspicion of driving a stolen car.
The victim then reported Johnson’s
fraud to the police and the matter was turned over to the
Prosecutor’s Office.
The jury took just over two hours to found Johnson guilty.
He was acquitted on a charge of 3rd theft by deception.
Johnson spent five years as an offensive
lineman for the New York Giants. He was a member of the 1986 Super Bowl
championship team.
He could face up to five when he is sentenced
before Union County Superior Court Judge Stuart Peim on June 26.
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