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I-Team: Accused Car Salesman Working Despite Judge's Order

FRAMINGHAM (CBS) - He is a car salesman in trouble with the law, caught in the act by the I-Team in a place where he should not be -- on a car lot.

The I-Team's surveillance camera caught Daniel E. Wright, a man accused of stealing the cars of his clients, at work on the floor of the Direct Auto Mall car dealership in Framingham.

The problem is, just last month, a judge let Wright out on bail with one specific condition: He could not work in automobile sales.

WBZ-TV's Kathy Curran reports.

Direct Auto Mall sales manager Ray Lima said he had no idea Wright, the former president of the Sterling Motor Group in Danvers, and had been exposed by the I-Team for allegedly stealing customers' cars and forging documents.

Police say Wright ripped off Stacey Chicoine by forging the signature of her late husband Joe on the title to their Mercedes and then secretly selling the car to a North Shore man for $61,000.

See: I-Team: Widow Swindled Out Of Money

Wright hid the sale from Stacey, telling her the Mercedes had mysteriously disappeared from the Sterling Motor Group lot.

We showed Stacey Chicoine our video of Wright back at it, selling cars again in defiance of the judge's order.

"It's disgusting, he's breaking all the rules again," Stacey said, adding that she's concerned about "other potential victims who don't know what he's capable of doing, what he's done to me and others."

Last month, just days after he was charged criminally in the Chicoine case, Wright showed up at Direct Auto Mall looking for a job.

Wright was hired under a contract and worked at Direct Auto Mall for more than a month. The dealership's owner fired Wright last night after he found out about his legal problems.

"He's no longer with us," said Lima. "We would like to apologize to the community because we want to comply with the law."

Lima said Wright did not provide the dealership with personal identification, refused company-issued business cards, and did not want to be put on the company payroll.

"We laughed with that because he said Ray, how do you say ghost in Portuguese? I said fantasma. He said that's me, fantasma, I don't want business cards," Lima said.

Stacey Chicione was not amused. "It has to stop," she said. "I'm a victim. It's a substantial loss for my family and myself. It could happen to other people and keep going and going."

Wright's bail could be revoked and he could be sent back to jail. He was charged with larceny in another car case today and was released on personal recognizance.

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