FBI Breaks Up Large East Coast Auto Theft Ring

The FBI said it has broken up an East Coast auto theft ring that retagged and sold hundreds of stolen vehicles.

The ring had been operating since 1999, stealing vehicles and creating phony certificates of title to match altered vehicle identification numbers, the FBI said. The defendants would then either use or sell the vehicles, said Jim Margolin, an FBI agent in the New York field office.

He said six people were arrested Monday and charged with trafficking in motor vehicles and related offenses.

One suspect lived in Allentown, Pennsylvania, two are from New York City, one is from New Jersey and two are from Georgia. A seventh suspect, from New York City, is still at large.

The FBI has been investigating the ring for two years.