A married couple from Florida is facing numerous charges stemming from an alleged fraud scheme involving vehicle titles. They were using their self-owned dealership to carry out the illegal actions.
Thirty-year-old Emily Marie Lucci and thirty-two-year-old Michael Anthony Lucci are charged with numerous counts of fraudulent statements on applications involving a bill of sale. They are also facing charges of having counterfeit registrations or vehicle titles, and are also facing perjury, forgery, racketeering, and organized fraud charges. The information was from jail records that Fox News obtained.
The two were taken into custody in late January by the Florida Highway Patrol after they started an investigation into their car dealership, Luxury Auto Source.
A Florida husband and wife are facing a slew of criminal charges stemming from an alleged title fraud scheme involving luxury vehicles being sold by their self-owned car dealership.
Michael Anthony Lucci, 32, and Emily Marie Lucci, 30, are charged with nine counts of making a false statement in an application for a bill of sale, nine counts of possessing counterfeit vehicle title or registration, nine counts of perjury by false written declaration, nine counts of uttering forged instruments, one count of racketeering and one count of organized fraud, according to jail records obtained by Fox News Digital.
The married couple was arrested after Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) launched an investigation into their self-owned business, Luxury Auto Source in Davie on Jan. 21, NBC 6 reported.
“According to reports obtained by the outlet, FHP initially began looking into the couple’s business after they allegedly submitted fraudulent parts invoices to the department for a 2020 Nissan GT-R.” Fox News Reported.
After submitting a fraudulent invoice for a vehicle that claimed thousands of dollars in repairs, and trying to get a certificate of title, the Florida Highway Patrol started to look at other vehicles the dealership had possession of.
Law enforcement authorities found eight other high-end vehicles that had fraudulent invoices and altered titles.
The list of vehicles that were reported included a 2017 Bentley, 2022 Porsche 911, 2018 BMW M3, a 2022 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, among other luxury vehicles.
One of the vehicles, the Dodge Charger, was shown to allegedly have multiple VINs and a motor that was stolen from out of state.
The Florida Highway Patrol executed a search warrant at the dealership, and it was reported that Michael Lucci was arrested. His wife, Emily, eventually turned herself in to the authorities.
Jail records showed that the couple was released on bond of $30,000 each.
