By: Richard L. Smith
In a crackdown on vehicle theft and fraud, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger reported the charges against four individuals implicated in a sophisticated conspiracy to traffic stolen vehicles across the United States.
Nathaniel Bell, 26, from Linden, also known as “David Jones”; Johnathan Tanksley, 30, from Orange; L’Hubermane Felix, 24, from Miami, Florida; and Dayanna Sarango-Hidalgo, 28, from Newark, face serious allegations related to their roles in a scheme involving receiving, retitling, and altering the Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) of stolen cars.
The group is accused of operating an intricate network to obtain stolen vehicles from New Jersey, New York, Florida, and other states, subsequently securing fraudulent titles to mask the origins of these vehicles.
The alteration of VINs was a critical step in their operation, designed to conceal the fact that these cars were stolen before they were sold t. It was unsuspecting dealerships and private buyers for profit.
In a particularly audacious move, the defendants are reported to have sold a stolen vehicle to an individual, only to steal it back with the intention of reselling it, using Apple AirTags to track and retrieve to the reseller additional charges for his direct involvement in altering or removing motor vehicle identification numbers, with five counts against him, and one count of transportation of stolen vehicles.
The initial court appearances for the accused have already taken place, with Felix appearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jessica S. Allen in Newark federal court and Bell, Tanksley, and Sarango-Hidalgo appearing earlier this month before U.S. Magistrate Judge Edward S. Kiel.
The conspiracy charge carries a potential sentence of up to five years in prison for each defendant. Bell, however, faces up to five years for each VIN alteration charge and up to ten years for the charge of transporting stolen vehicles.