International Car Theft Ring Dismantled, Multiple Charged
Federal and Washington, D.C., officials on Wednesday announced the takedown of a major international car theft ring, with multiple people now facing charges.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, joined by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Metropolitan Police Department Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll, and the FBI, said the group operated across the D.C. region, stealing more than 100 cars in under a minute and shipping them overseas for profit.
Pirro said the high-tech thefts required no keys, smashed windows, or traditional break-ins. Instead, crews used a device known as an “Autel” to reprogram a vehicle’s system, create a new key fob, and drive off.
Authorities said the group targeted vehicles including Corvettes, Camaros, and Honda Civics across Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Stolen cars were taken to “cool-off” locations, including D.C.’s Navy Yard and a Maryland Marriott parking garage, where license plates were swapped.
Vehicles were then transported to ports in Savannah, Georgia, and Baltimore, Maryland, loaded into shipping containers labeled as furniture, and shipped to Africa for sale on the black market.
Officials have linked more than 20 stolen vehicles, valued at nearly $1 million, to the indictment. Bowser said the ring may be connected to more than 100 thefts in D.C. and over 30 in Prince George’s County.
Five suspects have been charged, and one remains at large. The case remains under investigation.
