A former Connecticut high school teacher faces a number of charges in connection with accusations that he was involved in a title-washing scheme in which he allegedly sold or traded multiple vehicles with phony VIN numbers.
James O’Neill, 47, has three pending criminal cases out of multiple jurisdictions involving charges of forgery, larceny, criminal impersonation, identity theft and illegally altering a motor vehicle identification number, according to court records.
He was first arrested by the Stratford Police Department in January in connection with allegations that he was using school equipment in connection with a scheme to fraudulently alter motor vehicle titles, court documents show. O’Neill was formerly an English teacher at Stratford High School.
According to Heather Borges, acting superintendent of Stratford Public Schools, O’Neil resigned from his position as a teacher on Dec. 02, 2024.
O’Neill was arrested again earlier this month on Dec. 4 on forgery, false statement and larceny charges filed by the state Department of Motor Vehicles.
According to the most recent arrest warrant affidavit, O’Neill is a suspect in “numerous” investigations involving vehicles in Connecticut and other states that had duplicate vehicle identification numbers. In the most recent arrest, a man said he bought a 2023 Jeep Gladiator in April from someone he only knew as “Jameson Neill,” the warrant affidavit said.
The man said he had no issues registering the vehicle and drove around without any problems until he learned in August that the VIN may have been fraudulent, according to the warrant affidavit. He told police he had listed his 2017 Jeep Wrangler for sale and received a Facebook message from “Jameson Neill” who was looking to trade for it.
The man said he met the individual in Middletown and traded the Wrangler along with $10,000 for the Gladiator, the warrant affidavit said.
Authorities said they found that the actual VIN on the Gladiator indicated the vehicle had been stolen from Avis Car Rental in Albany, New York, according to the warrant affidavit. The Gladiator was seized by authorities, leaving the man who traded for it without a vehicle, he told police.
During the investigation, authorities monitored O’Neill’s Facebook page and found a Mustang listed for sale or trade, the warrant affidavit. The Mustang had been traded to him in exchange for a Jeep Wrangler, police allege. The man who traded the Mustang went to Connecticut State Police in February and said he believed the Wrangler he received may have had a fraudulent VIN, according to the warrant affidavit.
In September, authorities obtained a search warrant for O’Neill’s West Haven home seeking equipment they believe he was using to create fraudulent Certificate of Origin documents, according to the warrant affidavit. Investigators carried out the warrant and reported seizing multiple electronic devices as well as a notary public embosser seal, a notary ink stamp and ink stamps with the words “As is no warranty” and “paid” on them, the warrant affidavit said. They also reportedly seized a folder with multiple vehicle titles inside, police wrote.
Following the search, police said O’Neill declined to speak with investigators, saying he had previously been cooperative and that it “backfired on me miserably,” the warrant affidavit said. He referred police to an attorney.
A lawyer representing O’Neill declined to comment on Thursday.
O’Neill posted a $60,000 bond following his most recent arrest and is scheduled to face a judge in Middletown Superior Court on Monday.
