New Jersey Man Pleads Not Guilty to Multistate Car Theft and Resale Scheme

A former Bergen County, New Jersey man has been charged with running a large, multistate car theft and fraud ring.

U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger reported that Warren Guerrier, formerly of Hackensack, New Jersey, pleaded not guilty, to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft as part of a car theft and resale scheme. He was arraigned on May 2 before U.S. District Judge William J. Martini in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, from November 2016 to June 2020, the alleged theft scheme involved the theft of at least 40 stolen vehicles, approximately 30 of which were sold by Guerrier and his conspirators to buyer victims, and as a result of which Guerrier and his conspirators collected approximately $285,000.

According to prosecutors, the alleged scheme involved Guerrier and several conspirators acting at his direction stealing and then fraudulently selling vehicles to unsuspecting buyers. They identified vehicles to steal, then photographed, tracked, and advertised them for sale on the Internet.

Prosecutors contend that at the sales, the buyer victims were provided with electronically programmed keys and falsified certificates of title for the stolen vehicles in exchange for a negotiated purchase price in cash. Buyer victims also were provided with fraudulent identity documents utilized by conspirators to obscure their true identities.

The conspiracy to commit wire fraud count and each count of wire fraud is punishable by a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine. The aggravated identity theft count is punishable by a sentence of two years in prison, which must be served consecutively to any other term imposed, and a maximum $250,000 fine.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Topics Auto Fraud New Jersey