TORONTO, Ontario — In another crackdown by Ontario authorities on curbsiding, Eric Stiles was given a one-year prison sentence and his company was fined $375,000. This decision came after he plead guilty to 30 counts of trading in a vehicle without the benefit of registration, the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council announced.

OMVIC explained that because Stiles' charges fell under the conditions of the previous Motor Vehicle Dealers Act, the one-year sentence was the maximum penalty.

However, the new MVDA — which became effective Jan. 1 — has more severe punishments. The maximum fine of $2,500 per count and the maximum prison term has been boosted to two years.

"Curbsiders have made a business out of selling damaged vehicles to unsuspecting car buyers," pointed out council spokesperson Brenda McIntyre. "Stiles' fine is a significant win for Ontario's consumers and registered dealers and makes a very clear statement that curbsider activity is not tolerated in the province."

This apparently isn't Stiles' first brush with breaking OMVIC law. The council had conducted an earlier investigation involving his "unregistered activities," and fined him and companies a total of $159,375 in 2004.