A California man has been charged with 18 felonies after his luxury rental car theft scheme fell apart. Kendall Clark allegedly stole over $1 million in cars by paying for a one-week rental, according to The Riverside Country District Attorney. However, he wouldn’t return them, and when owners reported the cars stolen, they were told the cars were no longer in their name.
The 25-year-old would then sell the cars to various dealerships in Riverside Country, California with forged or “washed” titles to show that they had changed ownership. Some of the stolen cars included a 2022 Chevy Corvette, a 2015 Lamborghini Huricán, a 2017 BMW i8, a 2020 Lamborghini Urus, a 2021 Porsche Cayenne and a 2021 Jeep Wrangler. Luckily, all of the cars have been returned to their owners, according to the release from the District Attorney.
Clark was arrested on October 18 in San Diego by investigators from the Riverside Auto-Theft Interdiction Detail (RAID). On October 20 he pleaded not guilty to all charges at his arraignment, and he is currently being held on $250,00 bail. He’s set to appear in court on October 30 for his 18 felonies, which include embezzlement and car theft.
This sort of scheme is apparently exactly what RAID tries to stop:
RAID is a county-wide task force comprised of detectives from county law enforcement agencies that, in collaboration with the District Attorney’s Office, investigate and prosecute organized vehicle and vehicle-related theft, to include vehicle theft rings, chop shops, title washing operations, and VIN switching schemes.
The District Attorney’s release also says Clark is being investigated for other crimes, and if you’ve got any information reach out to them at 951-290-1923.
Nobody wants their cars stolen, especially not rich folks who rent them out.