What looked like a routine luxury car purchase at a Miami Gardens Tesla lot ended with handcuffs instead of a key fob, after police say a California woman tried to drive off with a six-figure SUV using a fake identity and some highly suspicious paperwork.
Chuting Chen, 24, of Rosemead, California, was arrested after she allegedly tried to buy a Tesla Model X at the Miami Gardens Tesla lot using a fake Florida driver’s license, according to police. Officers say the attempted purchase at the dealership on Northwest 2nd Avenue involved a large cashier’s check and other documents that quickly raised alarms. Police allege Chen admitted to being part of a systematic fraud organization with ties to California and China and to possessing dozens of vehicle titles and certificates of origin.
According to Local 10, Chen went to the Tesla dealership at 20850 NW Second Ave. and attempted to buy a Model X worth more than $101,000 using a fraudulent Florida driver’s license that matched another individual with a significantly higher credit score. She also handed employees what investigators described as a cashier’s check from a Montana-based business she said she owned, prompting loss-prevention staff to alert police. Officers detained her after determining the identification and paperwork did not check out…