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The Cuban Miriam M. Alonso is accused of participating in a vehicle fraud scheme that involved the sale of a stolen car, the alteration of identification numbers, and the forgery of ownership documents, authorities reported.
Alonso, 37 years old and a resident of North Miami, was arrested on May 4 at a dealership located at 17301 NW 52nd Place, by agents from the vehicle theft unit of the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office (MDSO), as stated in the arrest report.
The investigation began on March 18, 2025, when detectives from that police division conducted an inspection at Miami Auto Sales, located at 2156 NW 27th Ave. in Miami.
During the search, officials examined a 2023 GMC Yukon and found multiple signs that the vehicle identification number (VIN) and federal safety labels had been altered or forged.
The investigators also determined that the vehicle had no prior history before it was registered in Florida in August 2023, which, they noted, is a classic sign of VIN fraud.
A more thorough inspection revealed that the true identity of the car was linked to a theft report in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
To verify the ownership documentation, the detectives contacted the Department of Transportation and Public Works of Puerto Rico, which responded with a certified letter confirming that the title presented was not valid for a 2023 GMC Yukon.
The document control number did not exist, and the registration number actually corresponded to a 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer registered in Carolina, Puerto Rico, according to authorities reported.
The owner of Miami Auto Sales identified a man who claimed to have purchased the vehicle from Alonso and another person for $50,000, believing that the transaction was legitimate because he knew the sellers. The buyer stated that they provided him with sales invoices and title documentation.
According to the police report, during a photo lineup, the man initially hesitated about Alonso's identity, but upon a second review, he positively identified him.
The records confirmed that the vehicle was still registered under the woman's name at the time of the arrest. Subsequently, detectives determined that the Puerto Rican title used in the transfer process was fraudulent.
Alonso was transferred to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center and faces charges of grand theft, trafficking in stolen property, use of forged documents, and other offenses related to vehicle fraud.
Vehicular fraud has become an increasing crime in South Florida. In February of this year, seven individuals were arrested for fraud involving car titles at the Hialeah Auto Tag agency, where an employee used her access to the state system to generate fraudulent titles. Days later, police arrested two more individuals for a fraud involving 25 luxury vehicles valued at $1.5 million.
In January, two Cubans were arrested for the theft of a Ferrari and a Rolls Royce Phantom in Miami Beach, and a month prior, a family was accused of defrauding a dealership in Miami.
According to data from the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System of the United States Department of Justice, the number of cloned identification numbers (VINs) doubled between 2019 and 2022, highlighting the increase of this type of fraud in the country.
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