Father, son from Canada accused of bringing illegal vehicle to U.S.

Two men from Canada, headed to Watertown ostensibly to buy Michael Jordan sneakers, face allegations that they also were trying to bring an illegal vehicle into the United States.

Timofey Tolotchkov, 29, was charged Thursday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at the Wellesley Island port of entry with smuggling of prohibited goods. He and his father, Leonid Tolotchkov, 53, additionally were charged with making false statements to agents about why they were entering the country.

According to documents filed in U.S. District Court, the men arrived at the port of entry within minutes of each other in separate vehicles and both told Customs inspectors they were going shopping in Watertown.

Problems started for Timofey Tolotchkov when an inspector noticed that his vehicle's steering wheel was on the right side, rather than the left. According to court documents, the right-hand drive vehicle did not comply with the Imported Vehicle Safety Compliance Act enacted by Congress in 1988 and therefore was prohibited from entering the United States.

Meanwhile, according to court documents, Leonid Tolotchkov told inspectors he was traveling alone to shop for Michael Jordan sneakers and was not planning to meet anyone. He repeated the claim in a written statement during a secondary inspection.

About the same time, an inspector noticed that the two men traveling separately had the same last name and that Timofey Tolotchkov's vehicle registration matched the Ottawa address on Leonid Tolotchkov's driver's license.

Further investigation allegedly revealed that Timofey Tolotchkov had sold his 1994 Nissan Skyline for $6,500 over the Internet and was going to a Watertown shopping center to meet a vehicle transport driven by "Igor." Igor then would contact the buyer in Florida, "Tom," and the buyer would wire the money to Canada. Once the wire transaction was complete, Timofey Tolotchkov would sign the title, complete the bill of sale and leave the car with Igor, according to court documents.

Timofey Tolotchkov admitted to agents that he had come to the United States intending to drop his car off and his father admitted he accompanied his son because he "was going to need a ride back to Canada," according to court documents.