Baldwin County Sheriff’s detectives are building a case against John C. Giovanetti Jr., a former sales manager at Toyota, Buick, Pontiac, GMC of Milledgeville, that he defrauded General Motors Corp.

Giovanetti Jr., 30, of Milledgeville, was arrested in September in Florida and transferred to Baldwin County Oct. 30, Baldwin County Sheriff’s Detective Corey Goble said.

Giovanetti Jr. is charged with two counts of felony theft and one count of computer forgery, Goble said. He is the son of John C. Giovanetti Sr., former general manager of the same Milledgeville auto dealership. The two were fired from their jobs in August.

“(Giovanetti Jr.) was stealing from the GM Corp. through the theft of gift cards obtained by opening up sales that were completed and would order a card under the name of that sale. He would then have the cards sent to himself,” Goble said.

Giovanetti Jr. obtained a $500 gift card in July and another in August, Goble said.

David C. Thompson, an employee at the Milledgeville dealership, also was arrested and charged with one count of felony theft for allegedly committing a similar crime, Goble said.

Giovanetti Jr. was arrested in September in Polk County, Fla., on a theft by conversion charge. He was released from Baldwin County Jail last week on a $16,000 property bond Giovanetti Sr. signed, the detective said.

In Florida, Giovanetti Sr. faces 12 counts of federal wire fraud, 12 counts of bank fraud and conspiracy for allegedly using fraudulent car titles to obtain money for Big Oaks Buick in Bartow, Fla., in July.

A federal indictment in Florida accuses Giovanetti Sr. of submitting at least 12 fraudulent financial forms between May and October 2004 for at least 44 vehicles totaling about $1.1 million.

None of the federal charges against Giovanetti Sr. relate to his time at Toyota, Buick, Pontiac, GMC of Milledgeville.