Bentleys, Corvettes Stolen In Car Theft Ring: Feds

ALPHARETTA, GA — Six people were indicted last month by a federal grand jury on charges of stealing expensive cars from high-end dealerships, altering their Vehicle Identification Numbers and fraudulently obtaining new titles for the cars, the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia said.

The defendants were indicted June 26 and charged with conspiracy, wire fraud, mail fraud and altering a VIN. They include: Everett Tripodis, 42, of Atlanta; Janell Payne, 39, of Atlanta; Mark Wilson, 31, of Toledo, Ohio; Kakawana Tate, 42, of Atlanta; Antonio Tyler, 42, of Augusta; and Quentin Berry, 45, of Atlanta.

“These defendants were brazen in stealing expensive vehicles from car dealerships,” said U.S. Attorney BJay Pak. “They are alleged to have altered the Vehicle Identification Numbers of the stolen cars to cover their tracks and to allow them to sell the cars as legitimate.”

According to prosecutors, the defendants allegedly worked together to steal high-end vehicles, mainly from car dealerships in Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina. After committing the thefts, the defendants researched vehicles that were similar to the ones they had stolen, and when a similar car was found, they used that vehicle’s VIN to create a new VIN for the stolen car. They would affix the new VIN to the dashboard to thwart detection that the vehicle was actually stolen, Pak's office states.

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At that point, defendants submitted fraudulent powers of attorney to state motor vehicle departments to obtain copies of the titles of the similar cars. With the fake title in hand, the defendants allegedly sold the stolen car with its new VIN. The defendants allegedly stole eight Bentleys, three Audis, two Mercedes-Benz, two GMC Yukons, two Chevrolet Corvettes, as well as other expensive cars.

The defendants are accused of playing a part in the theft of several Bentleys Dec. 19-21, 2015, from Bentley Atlanta on Westside Parkway in Alpharetta. Just days after police reported several high end cars were stolen from Alpharetta dealership, authorities recovered four Bentleys in a parking lot at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Atlanta police previously said.

Tripodis and Payne were arraigned July 10 on federal charges of stealing expensive cars, altering their VINs, and fraudulently obtaining new titles for the cars. Tripodis was also ordered detained on July 13, pending trial by U.S. Magistrate Judge Russel G. Vineyard. Tripodis has two previous federal convictions for tampering with and altering VINs. Payne is trained as a lawyer.

“This is another great example of what happens when we combine federal and local resources in an effort to combat expansive criminal activity,” said Alpharetta Police Chief John Robison. “We are grateful for our strong partnership with the FBI, and we look forward to continuing to work with them in the future.”

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