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Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced Aug. 19 that a Bronx man from Morris Heights has been charged with second-degree criminal possession of stolen property and additional charges for forging car titles and selling stolen vehicles on Facebook Marketplace.

 

“The defendant allegedly preyed on victims who were vulnerable, including a working single mother, and a woman who was caring for her sick mother,” Clark said. “I encourage anyone that buys a vehicle to research the history of the car, as there are unscrupulous sellers online looking to take thousands of dollars from unassuming individuals.”

 

Clark said the defendant, Justin Vargas, 33, of  West 174^th Steet, was arraigned Aug. 19 by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Darlene Goldberg.

 

He has been charged with second-degree criminal possession of stolen property, second-degree grand larceny, four counts of third-degree criminal possession of stolen property, six counts of third-degree grand larceny, six counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, six counts of first-degree unauthorized use of a vehicle, six counts of fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, first-degree scheme to defraud, two counts of second-degree scheme to defraud, and four counts of third-degree unauthorized use of a vehicle.

 

She said the defendant is due back in court in November 2025, and bail was set in the amounts of $200k cash, $200k bond, $200k partially secured bond at ten percent.

 

According to the investigation, from July 1, 2024, to September 14, 2024, Vargas allegedly sold six stolen vehicles in The Bronx, a combination of Honda CR-Vs and Acura TLXs, which he advertised on the Facebook Marketplace.

 

He allegedly targeted vulnerable buyers and encouraged them to borrow tens of thousands of dollars for the transactions, or take out loans. Vargas allegedly gained the trust of victims by showing them forged motor vehicle documents and would meet with buyers in The Bronx to carry out the sales.

 

Before selling the vehicles, Vargas allegedly concealed the VIN numbers on the stolen cars with another VIN number, and then “washed” the car titles by using new information to match the new VIN. The court heard that the victims found out their cars were stolen, after bringing the forged titles to the Department of Motor Vehicles to register their cars.

 

Vargas allegedly sold the cars to the victims for around $16,000 cash each. The court heard that one of the victims had purchased a car so she could drive to college while living at home to take care of her mother who had heart failure. Another was a single mother who depleted her life savings to get a car to get to work and care for her children.

 

Over the course of the scheme, Vargas allegedly made $81,000 cash in sales and possessed around $164,625 in stolen vehicles.

 

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Doty of Trial Bureau 50 and Assistant District Attorney Lawrence Rozenblum of the trial division, under the supervision of Jessica Deanna-Lupo, a deputy chief in the trial division, and under the overall supervision of James Brennan, deputy chief of the trial division, and Theresa Gottlieb, chief of the trial division.

 

Clark thanked Greg Gentry, trial preparation supervisor, and Sebastian Mercado-Diaz, trial preparation assistant, both of the trial division, and Bronx DA Senior Detective Investigator Brendan Sullivan for their assistance on the investigation.

 

She also thanked NYPD Detective Kevin Falconer of the Auto Crime Division. for his work on the case.

 

The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.