2 dealership employees busted in alleged $2M stolen car scam

Two men are facing a total of 176 charges, police say, linked to an alleged stolen vehicle operation running out of a legitimate Toronto car dealership.

"Altogether, their activities have caused financial loss of approximately $2.18 million, which affected both the dealership and unsuspecting members of the public," Det. Dan Kraehling said at a news conference Wednesday.

Police say that beginning in August, investigators learned that two men — who were employed at what Kraehling described as a "name brand dealer" — allegedly used their positions to buy and sell stolen cars to unaware customers under the guise of legitimate sales.

The vehicles would be bought from numbered companies, which in some cases were owned by the two men, using funds from the dealership, according to a police news release. 

The accused parties would then create fake sales agreements using "clean" vehicle identification numbers — commonly known as VINs — and alter Carfax reports to match the fraudulent vehicle information, which would make purchases look legitimate, police say.

Then, a stolen vehicle would be delivered to the buyer under the guise of a legitimate purchase, according to police. The buyer's VIN would not match the vehicle they had bought, and some of the vehicles were falsely registered to people who weren't listed on sales documents.

The dealership caught on to what was happening several months after the two men had begun their operation, Kraehling said, "at which point they did report it to the police."

During the week of Oct. 21, officers carried out eight search warrants linked to the case, which included residences and commercial garages. Police found two suspected "re-vinned" vehicles, police say, alongside documents and electronics used to help with the sale of stolen cars.

"Investigators have currently linked the accused to 22 fraudulent auto sales that were conducted while the accused were acting in their capacity as legitimate car salespeople," the police news release reads.

Kraehling said it's hard to say exactly how many vehicles were involved, and police are concerned there may be more victims. 

Police are also investigating whether or not there are any links to ServiceOntario employees who may have been in on the scam, he added.

A 35-year-old Barrie man and a 32-year-old Mississauga man now face a host of charges, including multiple counts of forgery and fraud over $5,000.