HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. — Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested a New York man on Friday after they said they thwarted his attempt to steal a $500,000 Ferrari as part of a fraud scheme.
Investigators said the arrest of Kimeridze Giorgi, 43, of Staten Island, New York, comes as South Florida experiences “a rash of schemes” by thieves who “utilize a fraudulent transportation company to acquire luxury vehicle transportation ‘jobs’ by legitimate auto dealerships.”
In the arrest report, BSO Detective Christopher Anca described how the scheme works.
“Essentially, the seller/buyer will solicit a vehicle for transportation, and will unknowingly be contracting a thief, utilizing a fraudulent transportation business, to transport their newly sold/purchased luxury vehicle,” Anca wrote. “Once the thief is in possession of the vehicle, the thief will completely cut ties with the victim, depriving the victim (of) their vehicle, essentially stealing it.”
In this case, deputies said Giorgi was trying to take a 2024 Ferrari Purosangue that was supposed to go from a dealership in Pompano Beach to a Maserati dealer in Monmouth, New Jersey.
Deputies said on Friday morning, they saw the ultra-luxury SUV “being loaded by a transporter, who was subcontracted by the thieves.”
Authorities said suspects frequently sublease the jobs on purpose to “create confusion and layers to protect themselves and thwart law enforcement investigations.”
“In most cases, the subcontracted drivers are innocent and do not realize they are transporting and dropping off a luxury vehicle to a thief, posing as a legitimate car carrier/transport company,” Anca wrote.
Authorities said they followed the transporter to a shopping plaza in Hallandale Beach.
While at the plaza, located at 1039 W. Hallandale Beach Blvd., they said they saw Giorgi approaching the driver and, after some time, the driver handed him the Ferrari’s key fob.
“Giorgi was extremely nervous as he paced around the parking lot and was on the phone with someone the entire time,” Anca wrote. “Once the transport company completed the transaction, he loaded his truck and drove away.”
Authorities said they took Giorgi into custody on a first-degree grand theft charge. They said he couldn’t come up with a valid explanation of how he obtained the Ferrari, only referencing “someone on Telegram,” a messaging app.
BSO records show Giorgi, a native of the former Soviet country of Georgia, was released from jail on Saturday after posting a $5,000 bond.
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