6 charged in DC based international auto theft ring, prosecutors say

Six people have been indicted in a 15‑count federal case accusing them of stealing at least 20 vehicles in the D.C. region and Pennsylvania, then transporting and selling them in the United States and Ghana. Investigators believe the group may be linked to more than 100 stolen vehicles in the District and more than 30 in Prince George’s County. Officers also searched a suspected storage site in Decatur, Georgia, as part of the investigation. Prosecutors say the ring used electronic devices to reprogram blank key fobs, allowing them to steal newer Honda Civics, CR‑Vs, Acura TLXs and RDXs. The vehicles were taken to storage locations, including a garage in southeast D.C., where conspirators allegedly swapped license plates, obscured VINs and disabled GPS and Bluetooth systems to avoid detection. Five defendants identified as Jacob Hernandez, 29, of Los Angeles; Dustin Wetzel, 23, of Woodbridge, Va.; James Young, 23, of Hyattsville, Md.; Khobe David, 24, of Upper Marlboro, Md.; and Chance Clark, 25, of Waldorf, Md., are in custody. A sixth defendant remains at large and is considered a fugitive. That indictment remains sealed. All six are charged with conspiracy to possess, sell and transport stolen motor vehicles. The case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia’s Criminal Investigations Unit and the FBI Washington Field Office, with assistance from Prince George’s County police.