How A Simple Lost License Plate Ended A Huge Car Theft Ring

In 2022, a stray license plate was found on a rural highway in Kenosha County, Wisconsin. Three years later, this minor, chance discovery has taken down an alleged multi-state, multi-million dollar car theft and drug operation involving 23 suspects, says the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office.

The plate came off a stolen car from Milwaukee, starting the investigation which, eventually uncovered a large, high-tech operation that police say had been targeting cars from Milwaukee residences, as well as Mitchell Airport. The alleged thieves used cloning tools and professional-grade scanners to break into the cars. Radios and VIN plates were then swapped to disguise the cars’ origins. The cars were then sold all over the country at suspiciously low, cash only prices. You might have even rented one without knowing it. 

Counterfeit VIN plates and hundreds of fake vehicle titles were recovered in the bust, which allowed the hot cars to be sold and put back on the road without suspicion. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Wisconsin, says it has pressed federal charges for 23 suspects from Wisconsin, Illinois, Georgia, Michigan, Delaware, and North Dakota. The alleged operation crossed state lines, escalating the case to the federal level.

While the auto theft ring was far more sophisticated than a 12-year-old could run, cars were only one part of the operation. Police say fake LLCs laundered the money from stolen car sales by buying, then selling, real estate. A credit card cloning device was recovered, leading to one suspect being charged with aggravated identity theft. Two suspects are charged with drug trafficking, with kilograms of meth, heroin, and fentanyl recovered from a connected drug operation out of Whitestown, Indiana. Other finds included cash, a stolen firearm, and stolen jewelry and clothing. 

We’ve reported on many auto theft rings, but this is one of the most sophisticated I’ve seen. It didn’t make simple mistakes, like stuffing all the stolen cars into just two parking garages to be easily found, or bragging about the crimes on social media. It all started with a lost license plate, which could happen to anybody, and took three years to fully untangle.