A Denver grand jury has indicted 12 people on 187 counts tied to an elaborate towing scheme that prosecutors say stole Lamborghinis and other high-end vehicles across multiple states. The indictment alleges the operation generated more than $2.5 million by using towing businesses as a front to seize cars, erase their legal history, and sell them to buyers who had no idea what they were purchasing.
Counts Span Forgery, Theft and Fraud
The 12 defendants face charges including forgery, motor vehicle theft and defrauding creditors, the government and insurance companies, according to The Denver Post. Investigators reported that the individuals used towing businesses to steal Lamborghini sports cars and other high-end vehicles, then sold them for a combined total that prosecutors put at over $2.5 million. Separately, KDVR reports the indictment alleges at least $2.5 million in total losses between June 25, 2023, and September 30 of this year, and that two of the defendants, Oscar Salinas Jr. and Zaki Meharzi, used their towing service to commit numerous crimes, including theft of Lamborghinis and other expensive vehicles.
Per the same account, Salinas and Meharzi allegedly bought stolen tow trucks, illegally switched VIN numbers, and consistently used false or forged documents to erase legal claims on motor vehicles that were later sold. The indictment outlined numerous false vehicle sales, including purchases in Columbus, Ohio, Denver and several other cities, the station notes. Some of the Lamborghini theft charges listed vehicle values well over $150,000, with some exceeding $200,000.
Crash Scenes and ‘Hostage’ Fees
Prosecutors allege the enterprise sent tow truck drivers to traffic accident scenes to solicit business, lying to obtain permission to tow vehicles, according to the indictment. Once a vehicle was in their possession, the enterprise allegedly charged exorbitant prices for owners to recover it. The report describes truck drivers going to crash scenes to solicit business using false and misleading statements, practically holding vehicles “hostage” until owners or insurance companies paid the fees or abandoned the vehicles outright.
Some vehicle owners paid the recovery fees, while others abandoned their property rather than pay. The indicted individuals are also accused of concealing stolen vehicles by wrapping them in film, changing their colors and adding custom wheels, and of specifically targeting people who were behind on car payments. The group allegedly claimed to work with banks to resolve outstanding loans and obtain legal titles, then forged Department of Motor Vehicles documents and fraudulently obtained titles before selling the vehicles to unsuspecting buyers.
Multiple Agencies Involved in the Investigation
The Denver District Attorney’s Office oversaw the investigation, which was led by the Colorado Metropolitan Auto Theft Task Force, part of the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority. The Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission and the National Insurance Crime Bureau all assisted. Denver District Attorney John Walsh said in a statement that the investigation uncovered a multi-year criminal enterprise that used stolen tow trucks to tow cars under false pretenses in the Denver metro area, per KDVR.
The Colorado Public Utilities Commission, which investigates more than a thousand towing-related complaints each year statewide, says most of those cases involve nonconsensual tows and that enforcement action can include refunds to consumers and fines against operators, according to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. All 12 defendants in this case are presumed innocent unless the charges are proven in court, Noticias SD reports.
Part of a Broader Pattern in Colorado
This is not the only towing-related theft case to surface in Denver this year. Earlier in 2026, a separate grand jury indicted 11 people accused of running a metro Denver car theft ring that authorities said shipped stolen vehicles to Mexico for use by cartels, according to the Denver Gazette. In that case, authorities said 41 vehicles worth more than $900,000 were stolen and the 11 defendants faced 52 counts. In a separate 2015 Denver case, a grand jury indicted former NFL player Ostell Shawn Miles and two others for allegedly stealing cars while posing as a towing company, CBS News Colorado reported.
Despite the string of indictments, Denver’s overall vehicle theft numbers have been trending down. Walsh noted that car thefts in the city fell 28 percent in 2026 compared with the same point the year before, and more than 50 percent compared with the past three years, per the Denver Gazette’s earlier report. Illegal towing schemes are not unique to Colorado, either — in a 2022 California case involving allegations concerning up to 148 vehicles, a tow-company owner pleaded no contest to five felony counts of unlawfully taking vehicles, according to The Californian.
