Man charged in `chop shop' sting

By Daniel Kittredge
Posted 6/29/16

One person has been charged following an investigation into an illegal car dealership operation, and police continue to seek additional information in the case. Elie Antoun, 39, of 48 George St., Apt. 2R, in Woonsocket, is alleged to

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Man charged in `chop shop' sting

Posted

One person has been charged following an investigation into an illegal car dealership operation, and police continue to seek additional information in the case.

Elie Antoun, 39, of 48 George St., Apt. 2R, in Woonsocket, is alleged to have “fraudulently facilitated the sale of stolen vehicles to victims from the Cranston and Providence area,” according to a statement from Cranston police.

Among the charges against Antoun are obtaining money under false pretenses, forgery and counterfeiting of registration plates, tampering with odometers, operation of a “chop shop,” and possession of stolen motor vehicle parts. He was arraigned June 17, with a next court appearance scheduled for Aug. 12.

According to police, authorities were first alerted to the illegal operation as a result of a car stop. It was found the vehicle involved was stolen, and that the driver had purchased it from Antoun.

“With the victim’s cooperation, information was developed about, and surveillance was conducted of, the arrestee’s garage located at 26 Field Street,” reads the statement from police. “Over a two-week period, information was developed about the fraudulent operation that led to three misdemeanor charges and four felony charges being brought against Antoun.”

According to police, the investigation additional revealed Antoun “was found to have been engaging in the illegal practice of swapping high mileage odometers for lower mileage odometers in an effort to charge a higher sale price for the vehicles; as well as providing counterfeit temporary registrations for vehicles he had sold.”

Police believe there may be additional victims of fraudulent car sales, and are asking anyone who believes they may have purchased a vehicle from Antoun to contact Officer Michael Long at 401-942-2211 or mlong@cranstonpoliceri.com.

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