N.Y. Vehicle & Traffic Law § 421: Sale of motor vehicle, trailer or part thereof with changed identification number

§ 421. Sale of motor vehicle, trailer or part thereof with changed

identification number. 1. Any person engaged in the business of buying

or selling motor vehicles, trailers, or parts thereof, shall be presumed

to have determined and to know the original vehicle identification

numbers and special identification numbers on any motor vehicle,

trailers or parts thereof purchased or sold by such person, both at the

time of purchase and sale.

2. Any person engaged in the business of buying or selling motor

vehicles, trailers, or parts thereof, who sells or offers for sale a

motor vehicle, trailer, or part thereof, the original vehicle

identification number or special identification number of which shall

have been destroyed, removed, altered, defaced or so covered as to be

effectually concealed, without having complied with regulations

promulgated by the commissioner, shall be guilty of a class E felony.

3. Any person, other than a person engaged in the business of buying

or selling motor vehicles, trailers, or parts thereof, who knowingly

sells or offers for sale a motor vehicle, trailer, or part thereof, the

original vehicle identification number or special identification number

of which shall have been destroyed, removed, altered, defaced or so

covered as to be effectually concealed shall be guilty of a class E

felony. In any prosecution under this subdivision, the purchase of the

motor vehicle, trailer or part from a dealer registered pursuant to

section four hundred fifteen of this chapter, a vehicle dismantler

registered pursuant to section four hundred fifteen-a of this chapter,

or a motor vehicle repair shop registered pursuant to section three

hundred ninety-eight-c of this chapter shall be presumptive evidence

that the purchaser did not have knowledge of the destruction, removal,

alteration, defacing or covering of the original vehicle identification

number or special identification number.

4. For the purposes of this article, the term "original identification

number" shall mean any number embossed, engraved, etched, affixed to a

label, sticker or plate or similarly marked on any part of a motor

vehicle, trailer or vehicle part which is assigned by the manufacturer

for the purpose of identification of that particular motor vehicle,

trailer or vehicle part and the location of which number is made

available to the public.