ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Pennsylvania’s Attorney General says a pair of Allentown businesses were involved in a massive auto title fraud scheme involving stolen vehicles.
J&J Car and Truck Sales on South 4th Street and MP Notary and Tags on Hamilton Street are among 21 businesses in Lehigh, Philadelphia and Lebanon counties being charged.
In addition, five Allentown residents are among 30 people being charged individually: Indalecia Vazquez, Beaki Perez, Maria Pineda, Somary Ibeth Otanez-DeLoor, and Jefferson Loor-Valet.
Attorney General Josh Shapiro says the suspects are alleged to have purchased totaled vehicles that they then falsified inspection information for and submitted fraudulent title applications to PennDOT.
They’re also accused of changing the VIN numbers so authorities would not be able to detect the stolen vehicles as they were resold or exported.
Shapiro says the suspects allowed hundreds of damaged, potentially dangerous vehicles back onto the roads.