A used car dealership owner and two employees were arrested on fraud charges as authorities search for more victims.
Perry Wolfe, the owner of Car Capitol used car dealership, was arrested on suspicion of fraudulent transfer of a motor vehicle, while employees Regina Ozaeta and Mario Uribe were each arrested on tampering with government records charges, El Paso County Tax Assessor-Collector Ruben Gonzalez announced in a news release.
Perry Wolfe (left), Mario Uribe and Regina Ozaeta were arrested in connection with fraud charges.
No attorneys are listed in court records for the three suspects.
The El Paso County Tax Assessor-Collectors Office’s Enforcement Division began investigating the three suspects on allegations of “irregularities in vehicle sales and title transfers at the dealership,” the news release states.
The investigation revealed evidence that “indicated instances in which vehicles were transferred under false or misleading pretenses,” the news release states.
Car Capitol is located at 6354 N Mesa St. near Sunland Park Drive in West El Paso. The dealership has been operating in the El Paso area for several years, the news release states.
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No further details were provided regarding the alleged fraud scheme in the case.
“The case remains under investigation and additional charges may be pending,” the news release states. “Authorities have not yet released details on the total number of vehicles or customers affected.”
Anyone who believes they may have been affected or a victim of the alleged fraud is urged to contact the El Paso County Tax Assessor Collector’s Office’s Enforcement Division at 915-273-3430.
“The Office of the County Tax Assessor-Collector takes these types of offenses seriously,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “We will do our best to protect our citizens from these types of fraudulent title transfer transactions.”
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Wolfe was arrested on Oct. 10 on suspicion of fraudulent transfer of a motor vehicle. He was booked into the El Paso County jail on a $7,500 bond. He was released from jail the same day after posting bail, jail logs show.
Ozaeta was arrested Nov. 12 in connection with two counts of tampering with government records. She was booked into the El Paso County jail on a $2,000 bond. She posted bail the same day.
Uribe was arrested Nov. 12 on one count of tampering with government records. He was booked into the El Paso County jail on a $2,500 bond. He was released the same day after posting bail.
Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times. He may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com or on X/Twitter @AMartinezEPT.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso car dealership owner, employees arrested on fraud charges