Arrest Of Woman In Ring Of Luxury Car Thieves: DA

MOUNT KISCO, NY — A new arrest linked to a series of car thefts using stolen identities was announced Monday. Two men were arrested in June and now a third person, a woman, is accused of being part of a ring of luxury car thieves.

Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. alleged the woman arrested stole a Toyota SUV from a Mount Kisco car dealership using a stolen identity.

Shamakia Walker turned herself into Mount Kisco Police Sunday. She was arraigned in Village of Mount Kisco Justice Court on two charges: Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a class C felony, and Identify Theft in the First Degree, a class D felony.

Bail was set at $2,500 cash or $5,000 bond. She is expected back in court In Mount Kisco July 19.

The felony complaint alleges that Walker went to Mariano Rivera Toyota in Mount Kisco Jan. 15. There, the 30-year-old assumed the identity of another person. She used the victim’s personal identifying information to secure a car loan in the amount of $52,000 to purchase a new black 2017 Toyota 4 Runner SUV. Walker produced a fraudulent New Jersey State driver’s license bearing the victim’s pedigree and had extensive knowledge of the victim’s employment history. Walker took possession of the Toyota on that same date. The stolen vehicle has not been recovered.

This case is one of a string of related auto thefts from October 2017 to February 2018 at the following dealerships:

• Ray Catena Lexus of Larchmont, Town of Mamaroneck > stole a Lexus (Oct. 20, 2017)
• Land Rover of New Rochelle, New Rochelle > stole a Land Rover (Nov. 20, 2017)
• Rivera Toyota, Mount Kisco > stole a Toyota 4 Runner (Jan. 15, 2018)
• Lexus of Mount Kisco, Mount Kisco > attempted to steal a vehicle (Jan. 24, 2018)
• Croton AutoPark, Croton-on-Hudson > stole a Range Rover (Feb. 8, 2018)
• Mercedes-Benz, Golden’s Bridge > stole Mercedes S500 (Feb. 15, 2018)

In each case, a new victim’s identity was used for each auto “purchase.” Because the stolen vehicles were sourced from several dealerships and locations, the investigation is continuing and more arrests are pending.

Assistant District Attorney Stefanie DeNise of the Westchester County District Attorney’s Investigation Division Identity Theft Unit, is prosecuting the case.

SEE: Luxury Cars, Stolen Credit: $1M Ring Busted

Two men were arrested in June, accused of a complex identity fraud scheme to buy luxury cars at Westchester dealerships and ship them to Africa for resale. They hit dealers in Croton-on-Hudson, Goldens Bridge, Mount Kisco and New Rochelle, armed with stolen information including forged drivers licenses and Social Security numbers, prosecutors allege.

When Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. announced the arrest of two Bronx men who he said used the personal identifying information and credit of their victims, he said the monetary value of the scheme is estimated between $500,000 and $1 million.

"Identity theft is a crime which can affect many victims and industries, as this alleged scheme shows. We are very proud of this multi-agency investigation which has led to these arrests, and thank, in particular the Westchester County Police for their work in this case," said Scarpino at the time. "We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners as this case unfolds."

PHOTO/ Renee Schiavone