Robert D. Schappell again admitted Thursday in Schuylkill County Court that he defrauded a Schuylkill Haven automobile dealer of more than $200,000 by taking money for cars he never delivered.
Schappell, 44, of Schuylkill Haven, pleaded guilty to 21 counts of theft by deception, with prosecutors withdrawing 21 counts each of theft and receiving stolen property, while pleading guilty in another case to a bad check charge. Prosecutors withdrew 21 counts of receiving stolen property.
President Judge William E. Baldwin accepted the plea, ordered preparation of a presentence investigation and said he would schedule sentencing at a later date.
Schuylkill Haven borough police charged Schappell, formerly of Deer Lake and Pottsville, with taking $202,500 from Bruce Stidham, owner of Bruce’s Auto Mall in the borough, in exchange for Corvettes and other vehicles. Schappell neither provided Stidham with any vehicles, nor did he refund any money to him, police said.
In the other case, state police at Schuylkill Haven charged him with bad checks, alleging he passed a bad check on Nov. 1, 2013.
Schappell’s plea is the third one he has entered in the case.
He pleaded no contest before Baldwin on Oct. 17, 2014. By pleading no contest, Schappell did not admit committing the crimes but offered no defense to them, agreed that prosecutors had sufficient evidence to prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of all charges and agreed to be sentenced as if he had pleaded or been found guilty.
However, Schappell withdrew that plea on Dec. 15, 2014.
Then, on March 18, 2015, he pleaded guilty before Judge Jacqueline L. Russell. However, he withdrew that plea on June 22, 2015.
Schappell said little during Thursday’s hearing except that he understood his plea and was entering it knowingly and voluntarily.
The defendant
Name: Robert D. Schappell
Age: 44
Residence: Schuylkill Haven
Crimes committed: 21 counts each of theft and receiving stolen property, one of bad checks