- Police busted a chop shop in January and found over $3.3 million worth of allegedly stolen exotic cars, but that wasn’t all.
- During the investigation, authorities found that a tag agency clerk had enabled the thefts.
- She’s now facing 36 felony counts of fraud and misconduct as a result.
Automobile theft can be a complex business and title fraud can sometimes plays a large role. In the case of one criminal organization in Florida, title fraud was the linchpin of the entire operation.
After busting a shop, authorities say they found a tag agency clerk who had pocketed roughly $20,000 in exchange for completing fraudulent title transactions. In the process, they also recovered 18 allegedly stolen vehicles including a Lamborghini, an Aston Martin, and more.
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Police actually made the initial bust back on January 12. They followed a pinging GPS signal from a stolen vehicle to 5161 NW 79th Ave in Doral, Florida. The garage in question held a Lamborghini Urus, an Aston Martin DBS Superleggera, a Mercedes-Benz G500, and two fraudulent VIN plates. Authorities say that they found out about the tag agency clerk after arresting the garage owner.
Katherine Vera Moran, the clerk in question, would allegedly accept $800-$1,000 per vehicle to forge titles and tax documents on stolen cars. According to state attorney Katherine Rundle, Vera Moran would manipulate VINs associated with total loss vehicles, too. In one example, she created a salvage rebuilt title for a Jeep Gladiator that had initially been a total loss due to fire damage.
“The Doral Police Department has a zero tolerance for crime within our city, especially when it involves the utilization of your official position to defraud members of our community. Our team of detectives worked diligently with the State Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners to target, infiltrate, and dismantle a criminal enterprise, and I am grateful for their exemplary service,” stated Chief Edwin Lopez.
In total, the Florida government says it’s found at least 18 cases of cars with altered VINs. Twelve of those are confirmed stolen and all the vehicles involved are worth $3,385,000. As such, Vera Moran is facing 18 counts of title fraud and 18 further counts of official misconduct. Both of those are third-degree felonies.