You buy four brand new,fully loaded Mustang GT's! Duh! 
Accused embezzler bought four new cars Craig Balzer paid cash, dealer says
Friday, October 14, 2005
Kalamazoo Gazette
Balzer's wife, Sue Ann, died in September 2004, according to the Social Security Death Index.
Lacey said Balzer's succession of car purchases didn't raise suspicion on the sales floor ``because I think everybody assumed he was using money that he must have gotten from his wife's (life) insurance policy.''
Lacey describes the Parma Tube Corp. chief financial officer as ``a super-nice guy'' who ``knew more about Mustangs than any Ford salesman I know.''
``He would sit down with the sales people, and the man had done all of his homework on the Internet,'' Lacey said. ``He had done just an enormous amount of research and was very up-to-date and knew what he wanted.''
According to Lacey, Balzer always paid for the cars with personal checks. A police affidavit indicates that withdrawals from an account Balzer allegedly funded with money from Parma coincided with at least two car purchases.
Lacey also said that cash transactions at his dealership are not out of the ordinary. He said several customers, including avid car collectors, pay for cars in full at the lot.
Lacey said that over a period of one year, Balzer purchased a black 2004 Mustang GT, a red 2005 Mustang GT fastback and a ``screaming yellow'' 2005 Mustang GT convertible from Gateway Ford. Lacey said Balzer told him he also purchased a high-performance Saleen Mustang from a Niles dealership, then had work done to significantly increase the engine's horsepower.
``They were all loaded,'' Lacey said. ``They had every option you could get on them.''
Lacey estimated the least expensive of the vehicles would have cost more than $30,000. The Mustangs Balzer bought at Gateway had several features, including 4.6-liter V-8 engines and 300 horsepower, Lacey said.
Lacey recalls Balzer telling him the yellow GT convertible drew unusual police attention when the Sturgis man had it out on U.S. 12 shortly after he took ownership.
``He told me the first day he had it out, a State Police car pulled him over on U.S. 12 and the officers said they wanted to take a look at his car because it was the first '05 they had seen,'' Lacey said. ``After that, one of the officers came in here and ordered a new Mustang.''
Accused embezzler bought four new cars Craig Balzer paid cash, dealer says
Friday, October 14, 2005
Kalamazoo Gazette
Balzer's wife, Sue Ann, died in September 2004, according to the Social Security Death Index.
Lacey said Balzer's succession of car purchases didn't raise suspicion on the sales floor ``because I think everybody assumed he was using money that he must have gotten from his wife's (life) insurance policy.''
Lacey describes the Parma Tube Corp. chief financial officer as ``a super-nice guy'' who ``knew more about Mustangs than any Ford salesman I know.''
``He would sit down with the sales people, and the man had done all of his homework on the Internet,'' Lacey said. ``He had done just an enormous amount of research and was very up-to-date and knew what he wanted.''
According to Lacey, Balzer always paid for the cars with personal checks. A police affidavit indicates that withdrawals from an account Balzer allegedly funded with money from Parma coincided with at least two car purchases.
Lacey also said that cash transactions at his dealership are not out of the ordinary. He said several customers, including avid car collectors, pay for cars in full at the lot.
Lacey said that over a period of one year, Balzer purchased a black 2004 Mustang GT, a red 2005 Mustang GT fastback and a ``screaming yellow'' 2005 Mustang GT convertible from Gateway Ford. Lacey said Balzer told him he also purchased a high-performance Saleen Mustang from a Niles dealership, then had work done to significantly increase the engine's horsepower.
``They were all loaded,'' Lacey said. ``They had every option you could get on them.''
Lacey estimated the least expensive of the vehicles would have cost more than $30,000. The Mustangs Balzer bought at Gateway had several features, including 4.6-liter V-8 engines and 300 horsepower, Lacey said.
Lacey recalls Balzer telling him the yellow GT convertible drew unusual police attention when the Sturgis man had it out on U.S. 12 shortly after he took ownership.
``He told me the first day he had it out, a State Police car pulled him over on U.S. 12 and the officers said they wanted to take a look at his car because it was the first '05 they had seen,'' Lacey said. ``After that, one of the officers came in here and ordered a new Mustang.''
