Car theft ring used fake IDs to finance cars at dealerships across Illinois

A multistate automobile theft ring centered in Chicago “stole” automobiles off the a lot of luxurious sellers by utilizing bogus identification to established up funding for higher-end automobiles, Legal professional Basic Kwame Raoul declared Tuesday at a news convention with prosecutors from Cook and DuPage counties.

Six individuals will encounter prices like fraud, identity theft, forgery and aggravated possession of a motor automobile in relationship with the theft of extra than a dozen cars— which includes autos stolen from Lexus and Porsche sellers — in a plan that commenced at least as considerably back as previous drop, Raoul and DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin reported at a information meeting at the DuPage County government advanced in Wheaton.

Though he claimed the rates arrived right after a yearlong investigation, Raoul said the circumstance was designed as part of the Structured Retail Crime Process Power he announced two weeks in the past, a collaboration amid legislation enforcement organizations and prosecutors throughout the point out that targets coordinated felony networks that steal and fence stolen items.

Charging documents suggest that the team applied pretend identities, as nicely as identification information and facts belonging to a minors and lifeless folks, to protected the automobile loans. Among the the autos fraudulently obtained had been a 2014 Jeep Cherokee, 2014 Lexus LS 460, a 2008 Jeep Wrangler, a 2010 Porsche Panamera, and a 2017 Audi Q7.

Alleged ringleaders Anthony “Tony Sosa” Brown, 40, of Lansing, and Sierra Wells, 27, of Orland Park, were charged in Prepare dinner County. The two face counts of id theft, aggravated possession of a motor vehicle, organizing a continuing a continuing monetary crimes company, fiscal establishment fraud, forgery and theft by deception. If convicted on all prices, the pair experience a sentence of up to 30 years in jail.

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4 co-defendants experience lesser fees in DuPage County situations that have sentences of up to 15 years: Kevin Bandy, 48 DeAngelo Hackney, 30 James Krout, 47 and Zebedee Moore, 48. The investigation is ongoing.

The plan relied on utilizing stolen identities to protected credit at the dealerships, as well as identities that ended up completely fabricated, Raoul reported. Wells allegedly obtained the identification data, and Brown recruited people to act as bogus customers.

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It was not obvious how a lot of of the automobiles have been recovered, but a information release from the legal professional general’s business office stated dealers and banking companies endured $100,000 in damages — around the sticker selling price of a 2021 Porsche Carrera. Amid the dealers stated in the expenses unveiled Tuesday was Napleton Westmont Porsche, Fortunate Motors, McGrath Lexus and Bill Jacobs Volkswagen. In their remarks Tuesday, Raoul and Berlin thanked law enforcement departments from Barrington to Bloomington for their support with the investigation.

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The “sophisticated” fraud would have been tough for dealers to recognize in time to stop it, mentioned David Sloan, president of the Chicago Vehicle Trade Association.

“It’s quite tough for an place of work manager in a dealership or a finance supervisor to figure out some of these factors, so it’s terrific to hear this is becoming prosecuted this way,” he stated.