Second suspect arrested in probe into fraudulent car sales through ServiceOntario, MTO
Posted March 19, 2024 4:39 pm.
The sister of a man previously charged in a large-scale auto scam that allegedly involved selling stolen vehicles with fraudulent documents is now also facing charges.
In a release Tuesday, Peel Regional Police said they’ve charged Monifa Taffe-Hylton, of Brampton, with 36 counts of uttering forged documents and trafficking stolen goods.
On March 7, her brother, Milton Hylton, the owner of an unlicenced car dealer and broker, was charged with 168 auto crime offences.
Police accuse him of making fraudulent transactions through the Ministry of Transportation (M.T.O.) and ServiceOntario across the province, with over 100 vehicles involved between June 2023 and early 2024.
Investigators say the alleged scam involved utilizing “loopholes in the ServiceOntario procedures that allow authorized individuals to conduct third-party transactions to register a vehicle.”
Using that loophole, the suspects are accused of registering re-vin vehicles. Re-vinning is the alteration of a stolen vehicle’s VIN to make it look legitimate.
Some of the vehicles have been located and confirmed to be stolen, but investigators say a large number of them are still active on the road, and police are making attempts to locate and seize them.
“This investigation remains ongoing, and investigators anticipate additional arrests and charges laid,” Peel police said in a release.
“This is a large-scale crime affecting many vehicles in multiple jurisdictions across Ontario.”
With files from Lucas Casaletto
