A Long Island man accused of making use of his business, Oakdale Music, to sell counterfeit Gibson Les Paul guitars on eBay, has been arraigned Thursday while sitting in the passenger seat of a pickup truck outside the courthouse in Riverhead, N.Y.

"The record should reflect that this arraignment is taking place in the parking lot of the courthouse ... because of the severe weight problem this defendant has," state Supreme Court Justice Robert Doyle said during a short hearing in the employee parking lot outside the courthouse, Newsday reports.

A defense lawyer for Bernard Musumeci, 44, (who weighs about 500 pounds), also had given the court a doctor’s letter saying the defendant suffers from osteoarthritis and “it was impossible for his client to walk into the building and ride the elevator up to Doyle’s third-floor courtroom.”

Musumeci pleaded not guilty to second-degree trademark counterfeit, as well as criminal simulation and was released without bail. Police said they confiscated 35 guitars at Musumeci's shop and home that, on close inspection, bore tiny, internal markings indicating they were made in China. The authentic versions of the guitars would have fetched $90,000, authorities said.

Musumeci sold dozens of the instruments for as little as $1,500 to musicians who thought they were the originals worth thousands more.

If convicted, Musumeci is facing 3 to 4 years in jail for each charge.