Philly DA charges dozens in alleged auto theft, insurance fraud ring
Several dozen people and three corporations allegedly involved in an intricate auto theft and insurance scheme have been arrested, Philadelphia District Attorney R. Seth Williams announced at a news conference Wednesday.
Authorities said two men, Jihad Miller and Preston Thomas, headed the ring through a company called Cheap Auto. They purchased inexpensive salvaged vehicles from online auctions, removed vehicle identification numbers (VINs) and reattached those to the stolen vehicles, selling the seemingly legitimate vehicles to unsuspecting customers.
Miller and Thomas were among 32 charged.
Their accomplices would rent vehicles from local branches, then allegedly fraudulently reported them stolen to authorities, handing the keys over to Miller and Thomas, instead. Cheap Auto then slapped the salvaged VINs onto these stolen cars and obtained or created fraudulent titles and other documentation to make the vehicles appear legitimate.
Read more: http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/philly-da-charges-dozens-in-auto-theft-insurance-fraud-ring/zsJphj---JaUyy5cXPDTi2/
