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FBI: Car Theft Ring Closed

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By KEITH MORELLI

kmorelli@tampatrib.com

Published: March 25, 2009

TAMPA - Two decades ago, a group of car thieves hit on a way to steal cars and get away with it. It was a scheme that involved bogus vehicle identification numbers and multistate - even multinational - coordination. The result: millions in profit.

The plan worked like this: Thieves would steal a vehicle and head to a neighboring state to find one matching the make, model and color. They would copy that vehicle identification number, forge a label, paste it on the number of the stolen car and drive off with impunity. They would forge titles and ownership papers and often sell the car. As long as they stayed out of the state where the car was stolen, few complications could develop.

The practice is called car cloning - two identical vehicles in two states, one identification number.
VIN plates appear on several places in a vehicle, including on the engine block, but only the ones in plain sight, such as on the dashboard or in the doorjamb, were altered.

The ring was based in Tampa but operated in Miami, Chicago and as far away as Mexico City, authorities said. It stole about 1,000 vehicles, less than half of which were recovered, before catching the attention of investigators in 2006. The losses amount to more than $25 million, agents say.

On Tuesday, investigators said the ring was busted.

Operation Dual Identity, said to be one of the largest car theft cases mounted by the FBI, ended with warrants issued for people in Tampa, Miami, Chicago, Mexico City and Guadalajara, Mexico, according to the FBI. Fourteen of the 17 named in the federal indictments have been taken into custody, officials said. The charges include conspiracy, mail fraud, interstate transportation of stolen motor vehicles, identity theft, trafficking in motor vehicles or motor vehicle parts and altering motor vehicle identification numbers.

Among the leaders was Pablo "Tito" Barrio, 54, of South Tampa, who faces a maximum 184 years in prison if convicted of the charges against him, Tampa U.S. Attorney A. Brian Albritton said. Barrio's 26-year-old son, Edel, was also among those charged.

Over the course of the three-year probe, almost 50 people have been arrested by the task force, which includes about 50 law enforcement agencies and private companies, mostly insurance corporations.

Agents estimate a "significant percentage" of the 1.3 million cars stolen in the nation annually, worth about $8 billion, are cloned. One out of every three cars stolen is never recovered.

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760.

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