LANCASTER—On November 22, a Virginia Conservation Police special agent concluded an investigation into an unauthorized boat dealer in Lancaster County.
The case was initiated when an unsuspecting buyer purchased a vessel from the suspect and then experienced difficulty titling the vessel due to improper title paperwork, according to Notes from the Field posted online by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.
The special agent determined the suspect, who is not licensed to sell watercraft, sold two vessels in 2025, neither of which were properly titled before being resold. Virginia Conservation Police special agents investigate numerous instances of watercraft fraud throughout the Commonwealth each year, most of which can be avoided if the individual purchasing the vessel would insist upon receiving a title with the seller’s name prior to completing the purchase. The appropriate charges were placed against the suspect in this case.
Violations included failure to register a vessel within the prescribed time frame, selling vessels without a watercraft dealer’s license, failure to register vessel, failure to title vessel and failure to title a trailer.
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