The Houston Police worked with multiple departments to expose a stolen exotic car racket that was moving cars from California to Houston using fraudulent mechanics’ liens. Police found nine exotic cars at the crime scene and cash. The assets are said to be worth over $900,000.
According to a report by Fox 26 Houston, the police have shut down the place where the fraud was operated from on Windswept Lane in west Houston. A 35-year-old man, Talal Obeid, was arrested on the spot. Investigators claim this racket could just be a small part of a much larger fraud happening in multiple places.
Police stated that through the mechanic’s liens, the racket made false high-value repair claims on cars that never needed any work, sometimes going as high as $60,000.
Upon inspection of the cars in question, the officers found out that neither were they damaged, nor had any repair work been carried out, meaning the suspects running the racket allegedly used false documents to back their repair claims in an attempt to gain control over the luxury cars.
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A search warrant helped the police recover assets from the location where the fraud was being carried out, such as cash and nine exotic cars worth more than $900,000. The police claim the case could lead them to a larger auto theft ring operating across several states.
However, Obeid has filed a motion to have his property returned, stating that some vehicles belonged to customers and were being repaired.
The Houston Police Department revealed details of the case in a post on Facebook yesterday, including images of the crime scene. One can spot several exotic cars, such as a white McLaren 720S, a few BMWs likely bearing the M badge, and some Mercedes-Benzes. The police stated:
“Collaborative police work uncovers a large-scale fraud ring moving stolen vehicles from California to Houston using fraudulent mechanic’s liens. The Houston Auto Crimes Task Force (HACTF), and HPD’s Special Response Team (SRT), executed a search warrant at 8620 Windswept Lane and arrested Talal Obeid, 35, on March 31.
“Nine exotic vehicles, cash and assets totaling over $900k were also seized. HACTF includes HPD Auto Theft Division detectives, along with other agencies, and is supported by grant funding from the Texas Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority.”