Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that the alleged leader of a central Pennsylvania-based, vehicle title-washing criminal enterprise has been arrested in Mexico — after three months as a fugitive.
The Office of Attorney General, in conjunction with the 52nd Statewide Investigating Grand Jury, filed charges in August against Anthony E. Troncoso and 12 others regarding the criminal organization that profited over $1 million selling high-end vehicles stolen in Florida.
Troncoso, 44, was recently apprehended in Mexico City. He was arraigned in Dauphin County and bail was set at $1 million cash.
Pablo Correa, 40, a charged co-conspirator, was arrested with Troncoso in Mexico. He was arraigned in Dauphin County and bail was set at $500,000 cash.
“Capturing these individuals were high priorities since we filed charges in August, alleging Troncoso orchestrated this highly-profitable scheme here in the Commonwealth,” Attorney General Sunday said. “I thank our federal partners, and other law enforcement that assisted in apprehending these individuals and bringing them to Pennsylvania, where they will face very serious criminal charges.”
Preliminary hearings for each man are set for Nov. 18.
The criminal enterprise reportedly sold more than two dozen stolen vehicles. After washing the titles by fabricating documents regarding ownership, registration, and insurance, the group sold the vehicles to private buyers and at auction and dealerships.
Troncoso is charged with nine felonies and six misdemeanors, including felony corrupt organizations, washing vehicle titles, and theft by deception.
Other members of the group — including Troncoso’s relatives and his girlfriend — are each charged with their respective roles in the scheme.
Assisting in the investigation were Pennsylvania State Police, Berks and Lehigh County Detectives, New York City Police Department, City of Miami Detectives, and Miami-Dade Auto Theft Unit.
The title-washing — “cleaning” a vehicle’s paper trail of attached liens or loans by registering the vehicle in another state with fraudulent documentation — happened at licensed tag agencies and notaries in Berks, Dauphin, and Lehigh counties, as well as at PennDOT headquarters in Dauphin County.
Among the vehicle brands sold were Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, Land Rover, Audi, Lexus, and Infiniti. Most of the sales happened between 2022 and 2023.
