Yesterday, four men from St. Louis were indicted in relation to a vehicle sale scam, which saw them use fake cashier's checks and identity theft, reports the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Illinois.
Alen Saric, Valentino Colic, Emad Hasanbegovic, and Almir Palic are accused to have conducted this operation from 2018 to August 2023, aiming profit from their victims.
The indictment includes several crimes, such as wire fraud conspiracy and identity theft. They allegedly used Facebook and Craigslist, to falsely purchase vehicles from private sellers, and then reselling the vehicles.
The defendants allegedly issued over $1 million in counterfeit cashier's checks for cars bought in Madison, Jasper, Bond, and conducted transactions in Fayette counties within Southern District of Illinois.
They exploited stolen identities to buy and sell vehicles and falsify documents such as vehicle titles and bills of sale as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of Illinois.
The indictment came after thorough investigations by the FBI Springfield Field Office, Metro East Auto Theft Task Force, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Illinois State Police, Illinois Secretary of State Police, Jefferson County (Missouri) Sheriff’s Department, and various local police departments.
However, it should be remembered, under law, an indictment is a formal charge only, with each defendant presumed innocent until proven guilty.
