By: Richard L. Smith
On Tuesday, an Essex County man admitted to defrauding victims by orchestrating a multistate car theft and fraud ring, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Federal officials said Warren Guerrier, 47, of Newark, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William J. Martini in Newark federal court to an indictment charging him with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court, from November 2016 to June 2020, Guerrier and several conspirators acting at his direction orchestrated a scheme to steal and then fraudulently sell vehicles to unsuspecting buyers.
Guerrier and his conspirators identified vehicles to steal, then photographed, tracked, and advertised them for sale on the Internet.
The buyer victims were provided with electronically programmed keys and falsified certificates of title for the stolen vehicles in exchange for a negotiated purchase price in cash.
Buyer victims also were provided with fraudulent identity documents utilized by conspirators to obscure their true identities.
The scheme involved the theft of at least 40 vehicles, approximately 30 of which were sold by Guerrier and his conspirators to buyer victims.
As a result, court documents revealed Guerrier and his conspirators collected approximately $285,000.
The conspiracy to commit wire fraud count is punishable by a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 19, 2024.
