WASHINGTON — A newly unsealed indictment charges six people in connection to an international car theft ring in D.C. Maryland and Virginia. The 15-count indictment says the crew used a high-tech tool called an autel to steal more than 100 vehicles in the District, and more than 30 vehicles in Prince George’s County.
Charged in the indictment are Jacob Hernandez, 29, of Los Angeles; Dustin Wetzel, 23, of Woodbridge, Virginia; James Young, 23, of Hyattsville, Maryland; Khobe David, 24, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland; and Chance Clark, 25, of Waldorf, Maryland. One additional defendant remains at large and is considered a fugitive. The indictment against that defendant remains sealed.
U.S. Attorney for D.C., Jeanine Pirro said in a press conference on Wednesday that the autel reprograms cars to accept a blank key fob. Once inside, the thieves disconnect the vehicle’s GPS and Bluetooth devices and take them to parking garages in D.C. and Maryland to “cool off” — replacing license plates and obscuring the cars’ VINs. From there, the cars are taken to ports in Baltimore, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, where they are shipped as far away as Africa…