5 non-citizens arrested, 6th wanted in 'very large theft ring' involving dozens of cars in Florida

Full news conference: Immigrants charged in Florida car theft ring

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, along with FDLE and local law enforcement agencies, held a news conference in Tampa to share details on a "very large theft ring" involving dozens of vehicles. State investigators said six non-U.S. citizens face charges, and one of them remains on the run.

TAMPA, Fla. - Five people have been arrested, and a sixth is on the run, after investigators say they stole as many as 80 cars – most of which were rentals – in Florida and sold them for cash.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, along with Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Florida Highway Patrol officials, gave details about the years-long investigation at a news conference in Tampa on Thursday morning.

Years-long car theft investigation

The backstory:

State authorities said the investigation dates back to June 2022 when investigators in the Fort Myers area noticed a rash of rental vehicles being stolen from airports.

Three suspects, all of whom lived in Tampa, were soon identified, according to FDLE Special Agent in Charge Mark Brutnell.

Pictured: FDLE Special Agent in Charge Mark Brutnell speaks at a news conference in Tampa.

Brutnell said the suspects had three methods for stealing the cars, which evolved over time with the use of technology:

Rent the car at an airport, put heavy blankets on top of tire spikes and drive away.
Rent the car, then clone the key and put an Apple AirTag in the car before returning it. They would then track the car for "a week or two" before using the cloned key to steal it from a parking lot.
Pay "runners" to rent a car from Turo, clone the key and place a Samsung SmartTag in the car because Apple AirTags would attach to all iPhones in the area around the vehicle. They would then wait up to a month and steal the car.

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Once the cars were stolen, investigators said the suspects would replace the vehicle identification numbers (VINs) and get clean titles with the help of dealerships, some of which are in Hillsborough County. Specific locations were not named during Thursday's news conference.

The suspects would then sell the cars for cash to unsuspecting buyers, with sales totaling "upwards of $1 million at least," according to Brutnell. Investigators said they're still working through bank records, but they have not recovered the money from those sales.

Investigators eventually identified a total of six suspects, none of whom are U.S. citizens, and arrested five of them. A sixth suspect, Inti Gomez Alonso, remains on the run.

Pictured: Inti Gomez Alonso.

What they're saying:

Brutnell shared a message to anyone who may know where Inti Gomez Alonso is.

"Please advise him to do the right thing and turn himself in," Brutnell said. "Otherwise, I have all the confidence in the world we will catch him. It's just a matter of time."

Also during Thursday's news conference, Uthmeier praised all the agencies involved in the investigation and emphasized the state's recent crackdown on illegal immigration.

"We’re going to make sure that [the suspects] are held accountable for their actions, and we’ll continue to be a law-and-order state," Uthmeier said.

Pictured: Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier speaks at a news conference in Tampa.

As for the stolen vehicles, FHP Sgt. Steve Gaskins made it clear that law enforcement will take them back, even if they've been sold to innocent buyers.

"If you have a deal that seems too good to be true, walk away from it," Gaskins said. "Don’t be the innocent victim here."

The Source: This story was written using information from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Highway Patrol at a news conference in Tampa.

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