CANTON, Mich. (WXYZ) — Police in Canton are celebrating a big bust after getting seven men they say stole $1.7 million worth of Ford vehicles off the street.
Police say they’ve been tracking the group of men since October 2022.
The following seven men were arraigned on felony charges Wednesday after the investigation concluded:
Migel Santiago,19, of Troy, is charged with:
- One Count of Conducting a Criminal Enterprise, a 20-year Felony
- Nine Counts of Receiving & Concealing Stolen Property $20,000 or More, a 10-year Felony
Oliaran Pernell, 20 of Detroit, is charged with:
- One Count of Conducting a Criminal Enterprise, a 20-year Felony
- Ten Counts of Receiving & Concealing Stolen Property $20,000 or More, a 10-year Felony
Samir Rashed, 21 of Northville, is charged with:
- One Count of Conducting a Criminal Enterprise, a 20-year Felony
- Nine Counts of Receiving & Concealing Stolen Property $20,000 or More, a 10-year Felony
Julian Lyles, 19 of Detroit, is charged with:
- One Count of Conducting a Criminal Enterprise, a 20-year Felony
- Eight Counts of Receiving & Concealing Stolen Property $20,000 or More, a 10-year Felony
Dominick Dumont, 19 of Northville, is charged with:
- One Count of Conducting a Criminal Enterprise, a 20-year Felony
- One Count of Receiving & Concealing Stolen Property $20,000 or More, a 10-year Felony
Abdulfattah Hamed, 21 of Van Buren, is charged with:
- One Count of Receiving & Concealing Stolen Property $20,000 or More, a 10-year Felony
Janisse Moss, 19 of Lincoln Park, is charged with:
- One Count of Conducting a Criminal Enterprise, a 20-year Felony
- Ten Counts of Receiving & Concealing Stolen Property $20,000 or More, a 10-year Felony
Police say the men stole 16 Ford Bronco Raptors, a vehicle with a starting price of around $90,000, from holding lots in Canton. Holding lots are places where hundreds of new vehicles sit as they await transfer to dealerships. Police say after the men took the cars, they allegedly sold the cars to unsuspecting buyers.
Investigators say additional related thefts took place in Dearborn and Woodhaven.
Police say in total, the thieves got away with around $1.7 million worth of vehicles.
"Over time, we’ve learned that this is actually like a racketeering case," said Canton Police Chief Chad Baugh. "They were taking the vehicles and re-tagging them. What that means to us is they were assigning another VIN number to it illegally and trying to get these vehicles registered through an innocent buyer and by that time, that person is already gone with the money and they’re left with a vehicle they can’t drive or own."
Baugh says the thieves targeted a holding lot on Belleville Rd. and another on Hannan Rd. among others.
Police say they were able to recover 10 of the stolen vehicles in states as far as Texas, Arizona, and Alaska. They also recovered a few Mustangs, an AR pistol, and around $28,000 in cash believed to be made in the sale of the stolen vehicles.
"It makes it very concerning for us because we have to find ways to stop it on the front end so we don’t subject our citizens to pursuits," said Baugh.
The men accused in this case are due back in court next Friday. Police say they're now working with the automaker to prevent this in the future.
"For those that want to try this in Canton and southeast Michigan, we’re going to find you. We’re going to hold you accountable," said Baugh.
