Calgary (August 22, 2019) – Fraud charges have been laid against two men in complex series of luxury car related frauds. Calgary Police reports that the fraudulent transactions exceeded $800,000, the combined value of seized vehicles is $410,000, and ten victims of identity theft were determined throughout Canada and overseas in relation to the series of fraudulent actions.
As a result of a year-long investigation of the Calgary Police Service Auto Theft Team, Sean Alexander Airey, 27, of Calgary, has been charged with one global charge of fraud over $5,000 and Mohammed Khalid Alshanti is wanted on warrants for fraud over $5,000 and possession of a controlled substance. The police describe Alshanti as male, 37 years old, 5’10” tall and 200 pounds. He has brown eyes, brown hair, facial hair and speaks with a heavy accent.
Throughout 2018, the two men allegedly used stolen identities to fraudulently purchase vehicles in Calgary. It is believed that the suspects then replaced the Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) on the vehicles in an effort to disguise the vehicle while they either resold or refinanced the same vehicle. It is alleged that the men were also able to obtain financing loans through financial institutions for vehicles they didn’t possess, police reports.
These frauds resulted in the victims of identity theft being held responsible for vehicle loans that had been taken out in their names, car dealerships being unable to sell vehicles that had liens placed on them, and legitimate vehicle owners having their vehicles repossessed by banks who were acting on the fraudulent loans.
On October 17, 2018, during the investigation of the complex fraudulent scheme, a search warrant was conducted and various documents and electronic devices were seized in relation to the vehicle fraud. Thereafter, police recovered multiple vehicles in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, and the United States. In total, 8 vehicles were believed to have been fraudulently purchased or financed in this scam, including two Porsche Cayennes, two Range Rovers, a Mercedes Benz G63 AMG, a Dodge Ram, a Jeep Grand Cherokee, and an Audi A5.
Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Alshanti is asked to call the police non-emergency number at 403-266-1234 referring to Case #18465473/4338. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers by phone 1-800-222-8477 or on the website www.calgarycrimestoppers.org.
