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NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Two men have been charged in a scheme involving stolen vehicles that were transported to Connecticut and resold to customers in the state, according to the Connecticut Department of Justice.
United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut Vanessa Roberts Avery announced on Thursday that a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging 49-year-old Markos Pappas of New Haven and Daryl Jones, 53, of Atlanta, Georgia, for offenses related to the car theft scheme.
Jones pleaded not guilty to offenses related to the car theft scheme and released a $50,000 bond pending trial.
Pappas has been in federal custody since March 28, when he was arrested on a narcotics charge stemming from a related investigation, officials said.
According to the indictment, Pappas and Jones conspired with others to obtain cars from car dealerships, car rental businesses in Georgia, Illinois and other states.
Authorities said Pappas and Jones altered the VIN numbers of the stolen vehicles to, disabled their communication services and GPS systems. The suspects created fake vehicle titles and bills of sale using the altered VIN number to present to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in multiple states when registering the vehicles.
The vehicles were then sold to customers, usually through cash transactions. Stolen vehicles mentioned in the indictment included a 2021 Ford Exhibition and two Ford F-150 Raptors.
It is also alleged that while Papas was detained in federal custody on a separate indictment he communicated with his co-conspirators about the stolen vehicles in April.
Papas and Jones are being charged with one count of conspiracy that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of ten years and three counts of possession of a stolen motor vehicle which carries a maximum term of 10 years in prison per each count.
The indictment charges Jones and Pappas with one count of conspiracy, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years, and three counts of possession of a stolen vehicle, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years on each count.
