Federal prosecutors say a South Florida husband and wife turned a Davie luxury dealership into the hub of a sprawling title fraud operation that touched some of the most coveted performance cars on the market, including a Nissan GT-R and a Porsche 911. Investigators allege the couple quietly converted salvage and even stolen vehicles into seemingly clean inventory, then pushed them to buyers who had little reason to suspect anything was wrong until the paperwork unraveled.
The case, which centers on more than three dozen criminal counts and an alleged loss topping $500,000, offers a stark look at how sophisticated paperwork schemes can weaponize state rebuilt-title systems. It also shows how a single dealership, armed with forged invoices and falsified forms, can move high-end metal from the shadows of insurance auctions to the front line of a glossy showroom.
The couple behind the luxury lot
According to federal and local investigators, the operation was run by Michael Anthony Lucci, 32, and his wife, Emily Marie Lucci, 30, who owned a luxury car dealership in Davie. The pair are accused of orchestrating a pattern of mail fraud and title fraud that touched at least 48 vehicles and generated an alleged haul of about $500,000 in illicit proceeds. Authorities say the couple used their control of the dealership to blur the line between legitimate sales and a hidden pipeline of improperly titled cars.
Charging documents describe more than three dozen counts, including nine allegations that the couple submitted false information in official paperwork to secure rebuilt titles. Investigators say the Luccis relied on fraudulent invoices and fabricated repair records to persuade Florida officials that heavily damaged or otherwise ineligible vehicles had been properly restored and vetted. Once those titles were issued, the cars could be marketed as attractive, roadworthy examples rather than the risky salvage or stolen property they had been before.
How a title scam turns wrecks into “clean” exotics
The core of the alleged scheme was not the metal itself but the paper that followed it. Investigators say the Davie dealership repeatedly used bogus invoices and misleading documentation to obtain rebuilt titles from Florida for vehicles that should never have cleared that process. By presenting the state with what appeared to be legitimate repair histories and ownership chains, the couple allegedly transformed cars with serious baggage into inventory that could be advertised as fully rehabilitated and legally sound…