Penalty for not having registration?

Question

I bought a scooter from someone off craigslist. he didnt have the title because it had been lost, the vehicle was last registered in AZ in 98 and i live in CA. so im working on getting the title from AZ and then i will be able to register here... anyway im licensed im insured and i have a helmet, but no registration. how much trouble could i get in?

Answer 1

If you don't ahve title, how do you prove that you're the lawful owner of the scooter.  Likely it was junked, though I personally handled a case a few years back involving a man arrested for driving a van that was reported stolen a year or so earlier - it was subsequently retruned and discarded by the owner, and the "alarm" was never cleared up.  The poor guy who bought the van afterward was eventually cleared, but only after an uneccessary trip through the criminal justice system.