MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — A California woman has been arrested after attempting to purchase a $101,000 Tesla in Miami Gardens using a fraudulent identity, authorities said.
Chuting Chen, 24, of Rosemead, California, admitted to being part of a “systematic fraud organization operating out of California and China.” Police said she tried to buy a Tesla Model X at a dealership on 20850 NW Second Ave. using a fake Florida driver’s license tied to another individual with a higher credit score.
Chen presented a cashier’s check from a Montana-based business she claimed to own, which was later identified as a fraudulent shell company. She admitted to purchasing the fake ID online for $100, opening a Las Vegas bank account, and wiring more than $38,000 to use as a down payment on the vehicle.
Authorities reported that Chen possessed 32 California vehicle titles and 46 vehicle certificates of origin with the intent to fraudulently register vehicles and potentially ship them overseas. She stated her partner in the fraud ring was currently in China.
Chen faces multiple felony charges, including scheme to defraud a financial institution, second-degree grand theft, fraudulent use of personal identification, organized scheme to defraud, and transferring a vehicle title without a purchaser name.
She is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with bond listed as “to be set.”
