Columbus men charged in $1.5 million multi-state luxury car theft ring
A group of eight men, including five from Columbus, are accused of participating in a scheme to steal luxury vehicles, resulting in at least $1.5 million in theft from dealerships in central Ohio, Cleveland area, Michigan and Florida.
An indictment recently unsealed in Cuyahoga County charges the eight men as part of a criminal enterprise and conspiracy to participate in the thefts between May and September 2023.
Columbus men charged in car theft ring
According to the indictment, the men charged are:
Mamdou Diaw, 24, Mamadou Sy, 27, Jerrold Johnson, 52, Mamadou Djithe Sall, 25, and Amadou Demba Diallo, 26, all of Columbus, two 20-year-old men from New York and a 26-year-old man from Atlanta.
The indictment accuses the men of grand theft, aggravated theft, engaging in a pattern of criminal activity, conspiracy, receiving stolen property and breaking and entering.
Court records say the eight men planned to go to car dealerships and, while "feigning interest in purchasing luxury vehicles," get a key fob to a vehicle and swap it with a similar-looking fake to deceive the salesperson. After the dealerships were closed, group members would return and steal the cars for which they had the key fobs.
The group usually worked in smaller groups of at least two or three, court records say.
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After being stolen, the vehicles were then moved almost immediately to other cities or states, court records say. In some instances, license plates were stolen to help hide that the vehicles were stolen.
The thefts occurred at dealerships in several Cleveland suburbs, as well as dealerships in Michigan and Florida. At least four dealerships in central Ohio were struck, including Crown Mercedes Dublin on May 16 and 17, 2023, Bob Boyd Lincoln and Acura of Columbus on July 25, the Toy Barn in Dublin on Aug. 11 and Coughlin Automotive Ford in Circleville on Aug. 26 and 27.
The indictment identifies 29 vehicles that were stolen by the group. The vehicles are listed as:
2023 Mercedes GLE53, valued at $94,921
2023 BMW X5M50i, valued at $82,224
2021 Land Rover Range Rover, valued at $52,000
2019 Land Rover Range Rover, valued at $53,000
2021 Bentley Bentayga, valued at $208,474
2022 BMW X6, valued at $94,053
2020 Range Rover, valued at $69,985
BMW X7 with no model year listed, valued at $78,950
2020 Toyota Highlander, valued at $36,201
2023 Cadillac Escalade, valued at $120,000
2023 Porsche Cayenne, valued at $138,020
2021 BMW M50i, valued at $68,900
2022 Cadillac Escalade, valued at $89,900
2021 BMW X6, valued at $72,500
2021 BMW X5, valued at $64,842
2023 Cadillac Escalade, valued at $115,290
2023 Toyota Highlander, valued at $44,536
2022 GMC Yukon Denali, valued at $77,132
2022 Mercedes Benz GLS 450, valued at $81,280
2022 BMW X6, valued at $100,000
2023 BMW M4, valued at $90,000
2022 Cadillac Escalade, valued at $115,925
2021 Cadillac Escalade, valued at $102,120
2023 Cadillac Escalade, valued at $107,750
2022 BMW X5, valued at $55,524
2022 BMW X7, valued at $82,450
2022 BMW X7, valued at $81,645
2021 BMW X6M, valued at $91,000
2022 BMW M5, valued at $88,500
Records show that all five of the Columbus suspects have been arrested and pleaded not guilty in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.
Franklin County court records show Diaw has a pending criminal case involving an alleged 2020 armed robbery of a laptop. He is the only suspect in Columbus with a pending case in Franklin County.
The men will not currently be charged in Franklin County for the thefts that are listed in the Cuyahoga County indictment.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus men accused stealing $1.5 million in luxury cars
