Car dealership employees accused of selling stolen cars: Toronto police

Two suspects accused of selling stolen cars while employed at a legitimate car dealership in Toronto are now facing a combined 176 charges, police say.

Two suspects accused of selling stolen cars while employed at a legitimate car dealership in Toronto are now facing a combined 176 charges, police say.

Details of the investigation, dubbed Project Warden, were provided at a news conference at Toronto police headquarters on Wednesday morning.

Det. Dan Kraehling told reporters Wednesday that the investigation was launched in Aug. 2024 after officers discovered two suspects who worked as salespeople at a “branded” car dealership in the city who police believed were involved in the fraudulent sale of stolen vehicles.

Kraehling said the suspects allegedly used their position to acquire stolen vehicles and sell them to unsuspecting buyers.

“One of the accused employed as a salesperson at the dealership would source stolen vehicles from numbered companies. Some of these numbered companies they actually controlled themselves,” Kraehling said.

“The dealership’s own funds were then used to buy the vehicles, which were fraudulently presented as legitimate to unsuspecting buyers.”

He added that the accused would also generate “fictitious sales documents” using stolen and fake VIN (Vehicle Identification Numbers) to “further the deception.”