Crime & Safety
Multi-State Stolen Car Conspiracy Leads To NJ Men Charged
The men from Linden, Orange, Newark, and Florida are all accused of changing the VINs on stolen cars and selling them to dealerships.
UNION COUNTY, NJ — Four men from New Jersey and Florida were charged after police say they received stolen cars, changed their VINs, and then sold them to dealerships, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced Wednesday.
Nathaniel Bell, aka "David Jones," 26, of Linden; Johnathan Tanksley, 30, of Orange; L’Hubermane Felix, 24, of Miami, Florida; and Dayanna Sarango-Hidalgo, 28, of Newark, are each charged by complaint with one count of conspiracy to receive stolen vehicles.
Bell is also charged with five counts of altering or removing motor vehicle identification numbers (VIN) and one count of transportation of stolen vehicles.
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The four men allegedly conspired to get stolen vehicles from New Jersey, New York, Florida, and other states, got fake titles for the stolen vehicles, and altered vehicle identification numbers to conceal the fact that the vehicles were stolen, according to documents filed in this case and statements made in court.
The stolen cars were then sold to dealerships or individual purchasers so Bell, Tanksley, Felix, and Sarango-Hidalgo could make a profit, said authorities.
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In at least one instance, the men sold a stolen car to a person and then stole it back so they could sell it again, according to authorities.
They were able to do this by placing Apple AirTags in the stolen vehicles to track the location of the vehicle after its sale.
Bell, Tanksley, Felix, and Sarango-Hidalgo face up to five years in prison on the conspiracy charge. The maximum penalty that Bell faces for each count of altering or removing a motor vehicle identification number is five years in prison, and the maximum penalty for transporting a stolen vehicle is 10 years.
Felix made his initial appearance Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jessica S. Allen in Newark federal court. Bell, Tanksley and Sarango-Hidalgo made their initial appearances earlier this month before U.S. Magistrate Judge Edward S. Kiel in Newark federal court.
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