Two Area Residents Get Three Years In Federal Lock Up For Car Theft Scheme
by Alex Lloyd Gross
US Attorney David Metcalf announced that two males , one from Philly,the other from Upper Darby have been sentenced to Three years in prison and over $1,000,000 in restitution and fines by United States District Judge Karen S. Marston for conspiring to steal dozens of vehicles, including cars, tractors, and backhoes, from rental companies, dealerships, and home improvement stores.
Tariq Bennett, 31, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 39 months’ incarceration, three years’ supervised release, $502,070.13 in restitution, and a special assessment of $2,600.
Syheed Goodman, 37, of Upper Darby, Pa., was sentenced to 39 months’ incarceration and three years’ supervised release, $939,295.48 in restitution, and a special assessment of $2,700.
The scheme was so elaborate and transcended across state lines, which is why they were eligible for prosecution in the federal justice system.
The two would visit car dealers and home improvement stores to rent or test drive vehicles and then not return them .As part of the conspiracy to obtain the vehicles, the defendants presented fabricated driver’s licenses bearing either the personal identifying information of third-party victims, which they had purchased online, or the personal identifying information of fictitious individuals. The defendants then sold the vehicles and equipment to other individuals. In some instances, the defendants transported the stolen vehicles across state lines to facilitate the sales to third parties.
In all, the defendants stole at least 46 vehicles from businesses in and around Pennsylvania. They pulled their crimes in Bensalem, Abington and Plymouth Townships. The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations were assisted by law enforcement in those agencies.