2 salespeople charged in sales of stolen vehicles at Ontario car dealership: police

Toronto constabulary accidental they person charged 2 people, who were salesmen astatine a “branded” car dealership, successful transportation with fraudulent car income of stolen vehicles to unsuspecting buyers.

Det. Dan Kraehling told reporters connected Wednesday that they launched Project Warden successful August to place radical progressive successful the trafficking of stolen vehicles.

Kraehling alleged that 2 suspects, who were employed arsenic salespeople astatine a dealership successful Toronto, utilized their occupation to merchantability stolen cars.

“They were utilizing their presumption to get and merchantability stolen centrifugal vehicles to unsuspecting buyers, walk them disconnected arsenic legitimate,” helium said.

Kraehling alleges 1 of the accused salespeople would root stolen utilized vehicles from fake numbered companies and usage the dealership’s ain funds to acquisition them, and past the vehicles were “fraudulently presented arsenic morganatic to unsuspecting buyers.”

“To further the deception, the accused would make fictitious income documents utilizing stolen and fake VIN numbers,” helium said. “They would besides modify and change Carfax reports truthful that they could contiguous the conveyance arsenic a morganatic acquisition to an unsuspecting buyer.

“The stolen vehicles would past beryllium delivered to the buyer, unbeknownst to them the paperwork that they had conscionable filled retired didn’t lucifer the conveyance they had taken possession of.”

Kraehling said successful immoderate cases the vehicles were falsely registered to individuals that were not listed connected the income documents — including a idiosyncratic who was deceased astatine the clip of the sale.

Following respective hunt warrants, officers recovered 2 suspected re-vinned vehicles arsenic good arsenic respective documents and electronics utilized successful the scheme, Kraehling said.

To date, Kraehling said investigators person linked 22 fake car income that were conducted portion the accused were acting successful their capableness arsenic morganatic car salespeople.

The fiscal nonaccomplishment is astir $2.18 million, which affected some the dealership and the buyers, helium said.

Kraehling besides said the scam ran for astir a twelvemonth and that the dealership caught connected respective months aft the 2 accused started moving there, and reported it to police. He did not sanction the dealership wherever the transactions occurred.

Trending Now

When asked by reporters if determination are immoderate links to ServiceOntario successful narration to the fraudulent scheme, Kraehling said that portion is inactive being investigated.

In erstwhile cases, employees from ServiceOntario person been arrested and charged for playing a portion successful re-vinning vehicles. The Ford authorities precocious announced it plans to dramatically summation the punishments for VIN fraud to see hefty fines, licence suspensions and the imaginable for jailhouse time.

Two people, a 35 and 32-year-old antheral are facing 176 charges. The charges see forgery, altering oregon removing a VIN (vehicle recognition number) and uttering a forged document.

Investigators are asking anyone who whitethorn person purchased a conveyance from the suspects to travel guardant to police.

“As always, erstwhile purchasing a utilized conveyance we urge radical bash their owed diligence by purchasing autarkic conveyance past reports and comparing them to the conveyance that you’re purchasing,” helium said.

Kraehling besides warned that adjacent if a car comes from a “branded dealership,” double-check the vehicle. He noted for utilized cars that it is easier to observe discrepancies betwixt the reports.