Attorney General Dave Sunday and the Pennsylvania State Police announced charges against multiple persons in connection with a “chop shop” operation in central Pennsylvania that reportedly included vehicle title cleaning, fraudulent vehicle inspections, and identity theft.
The investigation by the Office of Attorney General and state police included presentations from the 52nd Statewide Investigating Grand Jury on two collaborating criminal enterprises:
- Angel Vidal and his “chop shop” location in Lebanon
- El Fuerte Auto Sales and El Fuerte Tire & Auto (both in Lebanon), which were run by defendants Yonathan Peguero-Rodriguez and Johandeiry Bonilla.
In recent days, 15 persons and two El Fuerte company companies were accused of a variety of charges, including but not limited to corrupt organizations, insurance fraud, bank fraud, identity theft, and forgery.
Investigators said the criminal groups profited by more than half a million dollars, and that many Pennsylvanians were affected, either by having their identities stolen, mistakenly purchasing vehicles from the “chop shop,” or seeing vehicles on the road that were not properly inspected…