Over 20 people have been charged in a Florida criminal organization case involving fraudulent Vehicle Identification Numbers on high-end vehicles.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents led the investigation known as Operation Gone in 60 Days, and Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office will prosecute the cases.
FDLE’s investigation began in July 2018 when looking into allegations of Florida Commercial Driver Licenses being illegally distributed to persons who did not complete the required training courses. Investigators discovered a criminal organization that issued fraudulent VINs to high-end vehicles obtained through fraud or theft, selling the vehicles below market value, fraudulently assigning tags, defrauding customers through purporting to issue automobile insurance, and other crimes.
In the news: Florida Drug Ring Leader Sentenced To More Than 11 Years Federal Prison
The crime ring’s illegal activities centered around profiting from the theft and sale of luxury vehicles from brands like Land Rover, Maserati, and Porsche.
Suspects illegally acquired the vehicles by using couriers, fake names, and fraudulent payments to purchase the vehicles from dealerships who did not discover the fraud until after the vehicles went missing from lots.
Another vehicle-acquisition scheme saw the suspects keeping rental vehicles, filing false police reports claiming the vehicles as stolen.
Investigators found that the organization’s leader then generated counterfeit VINs to attach to the vehicle to further cover up the thefts.
Since the vehicles were obtained illegally and lacked legitimate paperwork that could be used to register them, another suspect, who worked in a Miami-based dealership, issued temporary tags from the dealership or transferred a tag from a legitimate vehicle to the fraudulent vehicle.
In the news: 12 Arrested In Polk County Sheriff’s “Operation Family Affair” Drug Operation In Winter Haven
Suspects also purported to sell auto insurance to customers purchasing the stolen vehicles that often resulted in customers receiving an initial policy that quickly lapsed as the suspects kept the actual payments provided.
All charges are felonies. In addition to the 23 suspects already arrested and two with active arrest warrants, agents filed two additional arrest affidavits with the court, for a total of 27 suspects.
“Organized theft has no place in Florida, and I am grateful for the collaborative efforts by our law enforcement partners and my statewide prosecutors in shutting down this massive car theft ring,” Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said. “These criminals thought they could evade the law, and now they will answer for their crimes.”
The suspects facing charges in this case include:
- Raismel Cruz, 38, of Tampa
-Arrested on October 6, 2020, and June 20, 2023, and booked into Hillsborough County Jail
-Charged with racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, organized fraud over $50,000, grand theft, grand theft of a motor vehicle, conspiracy to commit grand theft of a motor vehicle, dealing in stolen property, counterfeiting payment instruments, uttering forged instruments, conspiracy to commit false and fraudulent insurance claims, altering the VIN of a motor vehicle, fraudulent use of personal identification information, and unlawful use of a two-way communications device
- Norisa Janelle Cruz, 41, of Tampa
-Arrested October 6, 2020, and booked into Hillsborough County Jail
-Charged with racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, conspiracy to commit grand theft of motor vehicles, dealing in stolen property, conspiracy to commit false and fraudulent insurance claims, conspiracy to utter forged instruments, and altering the VIN of a motor vehicle
- Yassiel Rosado-Gonzalez, 34, of Tampa
-Arrested October 6, 2020, and February 11, 2022, and booked into Hillsborough County Jail
-Charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering, grand theft, conspiracy to commit grand theft of a motor vehicle, uttering forged instruments, conspiracy to utter forged instruments, solicitation to utter forged instruments, conspiracy to commit false and fraudulent insurance claims, altering the VIN of a motor vehicle, and unlawful use of a two-way communications device
- Aleny Margarita Lopez, 30, of Tampa
-Arrested March 15, 2022, and booked into Hillsborough County Jail
-Charged with money laundering, grand theft, and uttering a forged instrument
- Lilian Yennifer Mesa-Cruz, 29, of Mulberry
-Arrested October 6, 2020, and booked into Hillsborough County Jail
-Charged with insurance fraud, grand theft, uttering a forged instrument, and possession of a vehicle with an altered VIN
- Oney Tomas-Gamboa, 39, of Tampa
-Arrested June 20, 2023, and booked into Hillsborough County Jail
-Charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering
- Mariangel Lizardo-Peraza, 29, of Miami Gardens
-Arrested June 20, 2023, and booked into Miami-Dade County Jail
-Charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering
- Roberto Marrero-Cisnero, 66, of Miami
-In federal custody
-Charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering
- Fernando Rodriguez, 46, of Valrico
-Arrested June 20, 2023, and booked into Hillsborough County Jail
-Charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering
- Ernesto Rodriguez, 51, of Valrico
-Arrested June 20, 2023, and booked into Hillsborough County Jail
-Charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle and dealing in stolen property
- Luis Enrique Rios-Fonseca, 30, of Tampa
-Arrested June 21, 2023, and booked into Hillsborough County Jail
-Charged with conspiracy to deal in stolen property
- Lazaro Velazquez-Gomez, 27, of Spring Hill
-Arrested June 20, 2023, and booked into Hernando County Jail
-Charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering
- Leandro Perez-Pulido, 47, of Plant City
-Arrested June 20, 2023, and booked into Hillsborough County Jail
-Charged with grand theft and dealing in stolen property
- Jennifer Hernandez-Torres, 38, of Plant City
-Arrested June 20, 2023, and booked into Hillsborough County Jail
-Charged with dealing in stolen property
- Israel Alain Vasquez-Gomez, 53, of Tampa
-Arrested October 6, 2020, and booked into Hillsborough County Jail
-Charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle and conspiracy to commit grand theft of a motor vehicle
- Abdiel Hernandez-Noda, 47, of Tampa
-Arrested October 22, 2020, and booked into Hillsborough County Jail
-Charged with giving a false report to law enforcement, false and fraudulent insurance claims, and conspiracy to commit false and fraudulent insurance claims
- Jorge Manuel Gonzalez-Aris, 33, of Miami
-Arrested September 17, 2019, and booked into Miami-Dade County Jail
-Charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, possession of certificate title with the intent to defraud, and driving while license suspended
- Dolnnis Quesada-Nuñez, 33, of Tampa
-Arrested January 7, 2022, and booked into Miami-Dade County Jail
-Charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle and possession of a motor vehicle with an altered VIN
- Kiara Cherise Bankston, 24, of Tampa
-Arrested June 20, 2023, and booked into Hillsborough County Jail
-Charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle and dealing in stolen property
- Adrian Hernandez-Hernandez, 45, of Tampa
-Arrested June 20, 2023, and booked into Hillsborough County Jail
-Charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, dealing in stolen property, and possession of a motor vehicle with an altered VIN
- Jose Angel Oro, 56, of Tampa
-Arrested June 20, 2023, and booked into Hillsborough County Jail
-Charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, dealing in stolen property, and possession of a motor vehicle with an altered VIN
- Juan Santa Cruz Ortiz, 31, of Tampa
-Arrested June 20, 2023, and booked into Hillsborough County Jail
-Charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, dealing in stolen property, and possession of a motor vehicle with an altered VIN
- Alberto J. Sandoval-Mejia, 37, of Cape Coral
-Arrested on June 23, 2023, and booked into Lee County Jail
-Charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle
- Maday Rodriguez Iglesias, 49, of Tampa
-Wanted for conspiracy to commit racketeering
- Jose Luis Hernandez-Mercado, 26, of Kissimmee
-Wanted for grand theft of a motor vehicle, dealing in stolen property, and possession of a motor vehicle with an altered VIN
Android Users, Click To Download The Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. Follow Us On Facebook and Twitter. Signup for our free newsletter.
We can’t do this without your help; visit our GiveSendGo page and donate any dollar amount; every penny helps.