Florida authorities23 suspects arrested, including three from the Miami area, in an organized crime investigation that allowed the dismantling of anetwork dedicated to the sale of stolen high-end vehicles o acquired through fraud.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and other state agencies announced the results of theOperation Gone in 60 Days, who for five years investigated a gang that profited fromtheft and sale of luxury cars, from brands such as Porsche, Land Rover and Maserati.
One of the suspects worked at a Miami-based dealership, FDLE said in a statement.Press conference conducted in Tampa, although the business in question was not identified or which of the defendants was employed there.
Among those arrested areMariangel Lizardo-Peraza, 29 years old and resident of Miami Gardens,Jorge Manuel González-Aris, 33, andRoberto Marrero-Cisneros, 66, both from Miami. The other 20 defendants reside primarily in Tampa.
Lizardo-Peraza and Marrero-Cisneros face racketeering charges, while Gonzalez-Aris was charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, possession of title certificate with intent to defraud and driving while suspended.
In addition to the 23 detainees,There are two fugitives with active arrest warrants and agents filed two additional arrest affidavits with the court, making a total of27 suspects.
The operation began in July 2018 when agents began investigating complaints of illegally issued Florida commercial driver's licenses, FDLE revealed in aPress release.
“Investigators discovered a criminal organization that issued fraudulent Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) to high-end cars that were obtained through fraud or theft, selling the vehicles below market value, fraudulently assigning tags, defrauding customers through the alleged issuance of automobile insurance and other crimes,” FDLE said.
The statement indicates that "the suspects illegally acquired the vehicles using couriers, false names and fraudulent payments to 'purchase' them from dealers who did not discover the fraud until after the vehicles had disappeared from the lot."
Likewise, in “another vehicle acquisition scheme,” the defendants kept rental cars and filed false police reports alleging that they had been stolen.
Authorities discovered during the investigation process that the ringleader generated fake VINs to attach to the vehicles and further conceal the crimes.robberies.
Because the vehicles were obtained illegally and lacked legitimate documentation that could be used to register them, the suspect who worked at the Miami dealership “issued temporary license plates from there or transferred a license plate from a legitimate vehicle to a fraudulent one,” FDLE said. .
Likewise, the gang members also tried to sell car insurance to customers who bought the cars.stolen vehicles, which often resulted in people receiving an initial policy that quickly lapsed as defendants pocketed the actual payments provided.
Florida Attorney GeneralAshley Moody, stated at the press conference: "Organized theft has no place in Florida, and I appreciate the collaborative efforts of our law enforcement partners and my state prosecutors to dismantle this massive auto theft ring. Thesecriminals "They thought they could evade the law, and now they will answer for their crimes."
The researchers said that$1.1 million was returned to victims.
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