Bellevue Arrest Cracks Puget Sound Car Scam With Fake Checks, Stolen Vehicles

A 28-year-old Burien man was arrested in Bellevue on August 26 after detectives say he spent months buying vehicles listed for sale online with fraudulent checks, then reselling or trafficking the stolen cars across the Puget Sound region. Tyrone Fareed was booked on charges of theft of a motor vehicle, forgery, and trafficking of stolen property in the first degree, and he also had multiple outstanding felony warrants at the time of his arrest.

The arrest capped a multi-month investigation led by Redmond Police detectives, according to a statement from the Kirkland Police Department. The City of Redmond says its detectives spearheaded the regional probe that ultimately tracked Fareed down, coordinating with Kirkland Police, the U.S. Marshals Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force, and the Washington State Department of Corrections. Investigators allege Fareed would arrange to purchase vehicles listed for sale online, hand sellers fraudulent checks, and take possession of the cars before the payments could bounce.

How the Alleged Scheme Worked

According to the Kirkland Police Department, Fareed connected with sellers through online vehicle listings, offered payment by check, and then drove away with the vehicles once sellers accepted the fraudulent paperwork. Detectives say the pattern repeated across multiple vehicle theft cases spanning the Puget Sound region before investigators closed in on him this week. The case echoes warnings that Western Washington law enforcement agencies, including the Puget Sound Auto Theft Task Force, have issued for months about fraudsters targeting private sellers on digital marketplaces, as reported by KIRO 7 News Seattle.

The U.S. Marshals Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force, a multi-agency partnership led by the agency's Western District of Washington office, coordinates federal, state, and local partners across Washington, Oregon, and Alaska to track down high-priority fugitives, per the U.S. Marshals Service. Its involvement in an alleged property crime case underscores the outstanding felony warrants that were already hanging over Fareed before this investigation began. Westside Seattle reported that those existing warrants factored into his booking alongside the new charges tied to the multi-jurisdictional auto theft probe.

What Fareed Is Facing Under Washington Law

Each of the charges against Fareed carries significant prison exposure under state statute. Theft of a Motor Vehicle is classified as a Class B felony under RCW 9A.56.065, carrying a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in state prison and a $20,000 fine regardless of the vehicle's value, according to the Washington State Legislature. Trafficking in Stolen Property in the First Degree, covered under RCW 9A.82.050, is also a Class B felony with the same maximum penalty for anyone who knowingly organizes, directs, or supervises the theft or sale of stolen goods.

The forgery charge stems from RCW 9A.60.020, a Class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine for falsely completing, possessing, or passing fraudulent financial instruments with intent to defraud. Taken together, the three charges reflect the layered nature of the scheme detectives allege: taking vehicles through deception, then passing them along through resale or trafficking.

Redmond Police Urge Sellers to Protect Themselves

In the wake of the arrest, Redmond Police published safety recommendations for anyone selling a vehicle online. The department is advising sellers to verify that a buyer's check has actually cleared by contacting the bank directly, to complete transactions inside a bank branch whenever possible, and to hold onto the vehicle until funds have fully cleared before handing over keys or title.

The advice arrives even as broader crime statistics show property crime trending downward across the state. The Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs reported a 21.3% drop in overall property crimes statewide in its 2025 annual report, falling from 308,044 reported offenses in 2024 to 242,542 in 2025, according to MyNorthwest.com. Nearby Puget Sound communities have seen similar declines: the City of Sumner reported a 57% drop in motor vehicle thefts in 2025 based on figures compiled for the same statewide tracking effort.

Even with those downward trends, cases like Fareed's show how online marketplace fraud remains a persistent risk for private sellers who never meet buyers in person before handing over a car. It follows a pattern of multi-agency property crime investigations across the Eastside, including a stolen car arson arrest in Bothell earlier this month and a coordinated pill trafficking case that spanned multiple Puget Sound cities including Kirkland. Investigators have not disclosed how many total victims or vehicles were involved in the case against Fareed, nor the exact monetary value of the property allegedly stolen.