6 charged in DC based international auto theft ring, prosecutors say
WASHINGTON - Six people have been indicted in a 15‑count federal case accusing them of stealing at least 20 vehicles in the D.C. region and Pennsylvania, then transporting and selling them in the United States and Ghana.
Investigators believe the group may be linked to more than 100 stolen vehicles in the District and more than 30 in Prince George’s County. Officers also searched a suspected storage site in Decatur, Georgia, as part of the investigation.
Car transporter in Maryland loaded with several of the recovered vehicles (United States Attorney for the District of Columbia)
Prosecutors say the ring used electronic devices to reprogram blank key fobs, allowing them to steal newer Honda Civics, CR‑Vs, Acura TLXs and RDXs.
The vehicles were taken to storage locations, including a garage in southeast D.C., where conspirators allegedly swapped license plates, obscured VINs and disabled GPS and Bluetooth systems to avoid detection.
Five defendants identified as Jacob Hernandez, 29, of Los Angeles; Dustin Wetzel, 23, of Woodbridge, Va.; James Young, 23, of Hyattsville, Md.; Khobe David, 24, of Upper Marlboro, Md.; and Chance Clark, 25, of Waldorf, Md., are in custody.
A sixth defendant remains at large and is considered a fugitive. That indictment remains sealed.
Vehicle thefts were carried out using On-Board Diagnostics II devices that enable them to reprogram cars to accept previously blank key fobs. The above OBD2 device was recovered from a stolen vehicle in Pennsylvania in February 2025. (United States A
All six are charged with conspiracy to possess, sell and transport stolen motor vehicles.
The case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia’s Criminal Investigations Unit and the FBI Washington Field Office, with assistance from Prince George’s County police.
Stolen cars linked to the ring on shipping containers in Baltimore destined for Ghana. (United States Attorney for the District of Columbia)
The Source: Information in this article comes from the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia.