Former Maryland police officer, DC man arrested in Virginia auto fraud case
Officer Sierra Alston was taken into custody by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police Department. She faces three counts of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and related offenses.
ARLINGTON, Va. - A former Prince George’s County police officer and a D.C. man were both arrested in connection with a Virginia auto fraud case, Arlington police said.
The two suspects were arrested after a year-long auto fraud investigation.
What we know:
Police were conducting extra checks inside a parking garage in the 800 block of Army Navy Drive on March 18, 2025, when they saw a suspicious unoccupied vehicle parked in the area.
During an investigation, police determined that the vehicle was stolen from Nevada and had an altered Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).
Police arrested the two suspects — Renaldo Gaines, 35, of D.C., and Sierra Alston, 33, of D.C. — as they were returning to the car.
After the arrest, police launched an investigation into the suspects, revealing that they conspired to get stolen vehicles and alter the VIN numbers to disguise them.
Alston, who was working as a police officer at the time, used law enforcement resources to help Gaines in the theft and fraud scheme, officials said.
Both Gaines and Alston were arrested on July 24.
Dig deeper:
This is not the first time Alston has faced criminal charges. In October 2024, she was arrested at Regan National Airport and charged with illegally using three stolen vehicles.
READ MORE | Prince George’s County police officer arrested at Reagan Airport after driving stolen vehicles
According to police, she improperly used three BMWs that were stolen from a rental car company operating out of Reagan National. She was not charged with stealing the vehicles, and during a court hearing, she declined to say how they came to be in her possession.
Alston joined the Prince George’s County Police Department in 2023 and was assigned as a patrol officer.
The Source: The information in this report is from Arlington Police and past FOX 5 DC reporting.