Six people are accused of planning to steal at least 20 cars from the Washington, D.C., area and sell them to buyers in the United States and Ghana in West Africa.
Washington– Six people have been accused of planning to steal at least 20 cars from the Washington, D.C., area and sell them to buyers in the United States and Ghana in West Africa, according to Reuters. Federal indictment Wednesday unsealed.
Investigators suspect members of a car theft ring stole more than 100 cars in the District of Columbia and more than 30 more in Prince George’s County, Maryland, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office said in a news release.
On Tuesday, authorities searched a car storage facility in Decatur, Georgia, that they believe is linked to the ring, according to the statement.
A year-long investigation found that ring members used devices that allowed them to reprogram cars to accept the blank key fob. Perot’s office said the stolen vehicles were taken to a parking garage in Washington where the suspects swapped their license plates, hid the vehicle identification numbers and disabled security features.
Those charged include Jacob Hernandez, 29, of Los Angeles; Dustin Wetzel, 23, of Woodbridge, Virginia; James Young, 23, of Hyattsville, Md.; Khobi David, 24, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland; and Chance Clark, 25, of Waldorf, Maryland.
Peru’s office did not immediately reveal the name of the sixth accused, who remained at large. The six are accused of conspiring to possess, sell and transport stolen cars.