INTERVIEW : 2012-09-07 Singer Gets His Van Back, but Pays a Price (by James MC Kinley jr.)

Joseph Arthur, the Brooklyn-based singer and painter whose touring van was towed and sold at auction last month, has tracked down and retrieved his vehicle, full of amplifiers and artwork. But it cost him $5,500.

The man who bought the 2003 Dodge Ram at a city auction, one Jose Lopez, of Mott Haven in the Bronx, paid $1,000 for the car and its contents, which included some expensive 1970s-era amplifiers and a hand-drawn set of tarot cards. He drove a hard bargain when Mr. Arthur tried to buy it back.

“The buyer had no obligation to sell it, so he kind of held it for ransom,” said Carla Parisi, a publicist for the musician.

Robert Solimine, the city marshal who seized the van in June for $361 in unpaid parking tickets, declined to tell Mr. Joseph who had bought it, citing a longstanding policy intended to keep purchasers from being harassed by people angry over having lost their property. So Mr. Arthur enlisted the help of Ron Kuby, a civil rights lawyer, who hired Vic Cornetta, a private detective.

Mr. Cornetta persuaded the marshal to contact Mr. Lopez and ask him if he was interested in selling. A meeting was set up in Mr. Lopez’s neighborhood. The negotiation with Mr. Lopez involved Mr. Cornetta and Kraig Jarret Johnson, a guitarist in Mr. Arthur’s combo.

In the end, after the private detective was paid and the sale of the van was completed, Mr. Arthur was out more than $10,000, Ms. Parisi said. He made a music video about the van and will give a concert at the City Winery on Sunday, Oct. 21, in an effort to recoup his losses.

“It cost plenty, but I’m very happy to have my art and my gear back,” Mr. Arthur said in a statement. He added: “Things like this can’t be measured strictly with numbers.”