Cops: Car dealer sold 300 bogus operating permits

A Lawrenceville used-car dealer has been arrested for allegedly issuing hundreds of bogus temporary operating permits, Gwinnett County police said.

Billy Allrich, 43, was arrested after an “extensive investigation” and charged with seven counts of com- puter forgery, the depart- ment said.

A detective started the investigation after noticing a suspicious vehicle at a Lawrenceville apartment complex, the department said. The detective saw a “fraudulently issued temporary oper- ating permit” (the temporary tag a driver gets when buying a new car), and the tag was issued by Allrich Auto, a used car dealership run by Billy Allrich.

Allrich had been issuing multiple tags to the same vehicles, and issued per- mits to his friends to help them avoid paying taxes, the detective found. Over the course of a year, Allrich issued more than 500 tempo- rary tags but sold 200 vehi- cles, the department said.

Gwinnett County detec- tives and members of the Georgia Department of Revenue executed a search warrant on Allrich Auto on Sept. 27. While officers were at the dealership, a woman showed up and said she was there to buy a permit for $150, the department said. She told officers she had purchased nine permits from Allrich Auto since early 2017.

Allrich was released from the Gwinnett County Detention Center on $5,700 bond, according to jail records. He may be indicted on additional charges, according to police.

Allrich was charged with seven counts of computer forgery.