Julio Sanchez, Angel Mares, and trucker Michael Serrano teamed up to instill fear in South Florida’s Dodge dealerships over the course of nearly a year. Serrano, the owner of a trucking company, would transport the stolen cars from the Everglades State to California, which were pilfered by Mares and Sanchez.
Working collaboratively, the trio managed to pilfer a staggering total of 91 luxurious muscle cars from various dealerships. Subsequently, they shipped 65 of these stolen vehicles to California. The frequency of these thefts became so rampant that Dodge dealerships were compelled to modify their parking arrangements for muscle cars.
According to Matt Greenhow, owner of Posner Park Chrysler Dodge, they had to strategically place their lot in the middle to protect their high-horse powered vehicles from theft. He mentioned that they had experienced incidents where vehicles were stolen and the thieves managed to escape by hopping the curb.
The dealership he owned faced significant challenges in 2020, so he was relieved to hear that the authorities had successfully apprehended the three individuals involved.
“I hope that others witness this and realize that they are being monitored,” he expressed. “If they engage in similar behavior, they can expect the same consequences.”
The trio used dummy fobs to steal cars easily
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Mares and Sanchez discovered a vehicle that they believed would bring great returns to the team. They would then proceed to place tracking devices on these vehicles. Subsequently, they would return with a coder device and a dummy key fob in order to program the car to respond to the fob.
After successfully programming the car, they were able to start it and drive it off the dealership lot. Subsequently, the team would alter the VIN and have it shipped to unsuspecting buyers in California.
According to the District Attorney Roger Hanberg, the scheme involved a straightforward process of stealing cars, changing their vehicle identification numbers, transporting them to a different location, selling them, and then dividing the profits.
Their clientele consisted of other dealerships, small businesses, as well as buyers from Facebook Marketplace.
Police were able to recover over 60 cars
Of the 91 stolen items, 65 were successfully recovered and returned to the retailers they belonged to.
“This is an incredible result, and it is due to the dedicated work of a large team of investigators,” Hanberg said. “We will not rest until all members of this auto theft ring are charged and held accountable for their crimes.”
Serrano, who is seen as the leader of the trio, is facing a potential 10-year prison sentence. Meanwhile, Mares and Sanchez have already been sentenced to five years behind bars.
The authorities are currently investigating the connections of five other men, although the main individuals responsible for the theft have been identified.
