Two individuals have found themselves on the wrong side of the law for their alleged involvement in a chop shop scheme in Wayne, Michigan. Mohamad El-Hadi, the 41-year-old proprietor of Hadi’s Cash for Cars, and Dani Mourad, a 44-year-old employee, have been hit with multiple charges, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced. El-Hadi faces a count of operating a chop shop, which is a felony with a potential 10-year sentence, and three counts of receiving and concealing stolen property, each carrying up to 5 years.
The charges against Mourad involve the concealment of a stolen motor vehicle. This alleged ring was unearthed during the operation of what was supposed to be a legitimate tow yard owned by El-Hadi, where authorities found vehicles that had been reported stolen, including models ranging from a 2009 Kia Sorrento to a 2017 Buick Encore. These discoveries were part of a larger crackdown on auto theft and chop shop rings by Michigan's Auto Fraud Task Force, Nessel pointed out, according to the Attorney General's Office.
During arraignments at the 29th District Court in Wayne, Chief Judge Breeda K. O'Leary granted El-Hadi a $25,000 personal recognizance bond, while Mourad received a bond setting at $15,000, as per the Attorney General's Office's communication. The unfolding investigation and subsequent charges are a direct result of the January expansion of the state's Auto Insurance Fraud Unit into the Auto Fraud Task Force, with collaborations including partnerships with the likes of the Michigan State Police Metro Detroit Auto-Theft Recovery Team.
"The Auto Fraud Task Force was created to tackle exactly this kind of alleged criminal activity," Nessel said, as reported by the Attorney General's Office. "By embedding prosecutors directly within the Michigan State Police, we can continue dismantling auto theft and chop shop operations that threaten communities across our state." Both El-Hadi and Mourad are scheduled to reappear in court on August 18, as they prepare to face the judicial system for their accused roles in this illicit operation.
