Topline: A luxury car purchase led to the discovery of dozens of fraudulent titles intended for an overseas shipping operation.
Published: February 16, 2026 8:47 am ET
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Chuting Chen (via Miami Gardens Police Department)
MIAMI GARDENS, FL — Miami Gardens police arrested a woman after she allegedly attempted to purchase a Tesla using a stolen identity and a check from a Montana shell company.
Chuting Chen, 24, a Chinese national residing in Rosemead, California, faces multiple felony charges. The counts include second-degree grand theft, organized scheme to defraud, and fraudulent use of personal identification, according to Local 10.
Police responded to the Tesla showroom in Miami Gardens after a manager reported an attempted fraudulent purchase. The manager told officers Chen tried to buy a Tesla Model X valued at over $101,000 using a fraudulent driver’s license.
The license belonged to another person who had a higher credit score, according to the arrest report. The manager said Chen also presented a cashier’s check for $10,802.39.
The check was issued by a Montana business Chen claimed to own. Detectives said Chen admitted to using the fraudulent identification because the victim had a better credit score.
Chen told investigators she purchased the fraudulent identification online for $100, NBC 6 South Florida reported. She also admitted to being part of a systematic fraud organization with operations in California and China.
According to the report, Chen told detectives her partner is currently in China. She also admitted to operating a fraudulent shell company based in Montana.
Chen told police she wired $38,250 on Feb. 2 to use as a down payment on the Tesla. Investigators found Chen in possession of 32 California vehicle titles and 46 certificates of origin for vehicles.
Police said Chen possessed the documents with the intent to fraudulently register vehicles. Authorities believe the suspect intended to ship the vehicles out of the country, as reported by Local 10.
Additional charges against Chen include a scheme to defraud a financial institution by an unauthorized alien and transferring a vehicle title with no purchaser name.
Chen was booked into jail and appeared in bond court on Feb. 10. She is being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with a bond listed in online records as “to be set.”
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Published: February 16, 2026 8:47 am ET
Chuting Chen (via Miami Gardens Police Department)
MIAMI GARDENS, FL — Miami Gardens police arrested a woman after she allegedly attempted to purchase a Tesla using a stolen identity and a check from a Montana shell company.
Chuting Chen, 24, a Chinese national residing in Rosemead, California, faces multiple felony charges. The counts include second-degree grand theft, organized scheme to defraud, and fraudulent use of personal identification, according to Local 10.
Police responded to the Tesla showroom in Miami Gardens after a manager reported an attempted fraudulent purchase. The manager told officers Chen tried to buy a Tesla Model X valued at over $101,000 using a fraudulent driver’s license.
The license belonged to another person who had a higher credit score, according to the arrest report. The manager said Chen also presented a cashier’s check for $10,802.39.
The check was issued by a Montana business Chen claimed to own. Detectives said Chen admitted to using the fraudulent identification because the victim had a better credit score.
Chen told investigators she purchased the fraudulent identification online for $100, NBC 6 South Florida reported. She also admitted to being part of a systematic fraud organization with operations in California and China.
According to the report, Chen told detectives her partner is currently in China. She also admitted to operating a fraudulent shell company based in Montana.
Chen told police she wired $38,250 on Feb. 2 to use as a down payment on the Tesla. Investigators found Chen in possession of 32 California vehicle titles and 46 certificates of origin for vehicles.
Police said Chen possessed the documents with the intent to fraudulently register vehicles. Authorities believe the suspect intended to ship the vehicles out of the country, as reported by Local 10.
Additional charges against Chen include a scheme to defraud a financial institution by an unauthorized alien and transferring a vehicle title with no purchaser name.
Chen was booked into jail and appeared in bond court on Feb. 10. She is being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with a bond listed in online records as “to be set.”
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
Must Read
Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Woman Linked to Chinese Crime Group Arrested in Florida Tesla Scam
A luxury car purchase led to the discovery of dozens of fraudulent titles intended for an overseas shipping operation.
By Kate Byrd
Published: February 16, 2026 8:47 am ET
Chuting Chen (via Miami Gardens Police Department)
MIAMI GARDENS, FL — Miami Gardens police arrested a woman after she allegedly attempted to purchase a Tesla using a stolen identity and a check from a Montana shell company.
Chuting Chen, 24, a Chinese national residing in Rosemead, California, faces multiple felony charges. The counts include second-degree grand theft, organized scheme to defraud, and fraudulent use of personal identification, according to Local 10.
Police responded to the Tesla showroom in Miami Gardens after a manager reported an attempted fraudulent purchase. The manager told officers Chen tried to buy a Tesla Model X valued at over $101,000 using a fraudulent driver’s license.
The license belonged to another person who had a higher credit score, according to the arrest report. The manager said Chen also presented a cashier’s check for $10,802.39.
The check was issued by a Montana business Chen claimed to own. Detectives said Chen admitted to using the fraudulent identification because the victim had a better credit score.
Chen told investigators she purchased the fraudulent identification online for $100, NBC 6 South Florida reported. She also admitted to being part of a systematic fraud organization with operations in California and China.
According to the report, Chen told detectives her partner is currently in China. She also admitted to operating a fraudulent shell company based in Montana.
Chen told police she wired $38,250 on Feb. 2 to use as a down payment on the Tesla. Investigators found Chen in possession of 32 California vehicle titles and 46 certificates of origin for vehicles.
Police said Chen possessed the documents with the intent to fraudulently register vehicles. Authorities believe the suspect intended to ship the vehicles out of the country, as reported by Local 10.
Additional charges against Chen include a scheme to defraud a financial institution by an unauthorized alien and transferring a vehicle title with no purchaser name.
Chen was booked into jail and appeared in bond court on Feb. 10. She is being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with a bond listed in online records as “to be set.”
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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