PHOENIX — Three Phoenix residents have been arrested for allegedly buying several stolen cars from the East Coast and selling them at cheap prices to victims in Arizona.
Up to 19 stolen cars and $110,000 in cash have been recovered by the Arizona Department of Public Safety following a months-long investigation into a car theft ring.
Rickey Austin, 33, Tyquan Jackson Wilson, 33, and Joshua Carra, 35, are facing charges of fraud and theft after they allegedly used illegitimate vehicle identification numbers to buy and transport stolen cars to Arizona.
The suspects would then allegedly use fraudulent out-of-state titles to sell the stolen cars at low prices online.
“They sell it for a really low price on OfferUp or Facebook Marketplace," said Sergent Eric Andrews with DPS.
Some of the stolen vehicles included a Mercedes-Benz SUV, a Ferrari, a Jeep Grand Cherokee and several Dodge sports cars. The stolen cars seized by investigators were collectively worth about $1.2 million.
DPS additionally arrested 24-year-old Dayanella Galdos Abarca, an employee of a third-party MVD service provider, for allegedly being involved in the fraud.
Sgt. Andrews said the victims in this case claimed they had no idea the car was stolen until they tried to register it.
"Now they're left without the money because they gave that money to the to the seller, and now they don't have a vehicle because obviously we've seized it because it's stolen," Andrews said. "So they're out everything."
During the investigation, DPS reported seizing cocaine, fentanyl pills, illegal mushrooms, methamphetamine and several firearms.
DPS encouraged citizens to be vigilant when purchasing cars through online marketplaces, especially if the selling price appears to be too low. Andrews recommending potential buyers to look up the vehicle on sites like Kelly Blue Book and Car Fax.
"If you're buying a Ferrari California on OfferUp or Facebook Marketplace, there should be a bunch of red flags that are going off right there," Andrews said.
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