How an international theft ring used tech to steal 100 cars in DC area

An international car theft ring stole more than 100 vehicles from the D.C. area using technology available for purchase online, prosecutors say.

Federal and local law enforcement officials announced the indictment of six men who they say were shipping stolen cars to as far as Africa.

“In the dead of night, crews strike the streets in Washington, D.C.; in Maryland and in Pennsylvania,” D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said. “And in seconds, they reprogram Corvettes, Camaros, Honda Civics. From there they are loaded onto shipping containers that are labeled furniture as opposed to cars because there will not be as much scrutiny. And then the shipping containers are sent across the ocean to Africa where they get top dollar on the black market. This is a sophisticated ring turning everyday cars into international cargo.”

According to law enforcement, the car thieves targeted high-end sports cars and less expensive cars, mostly in Northwest D.C., and used a garage in Navy Yard to hold the cars before shipping them to sell as close as Maryland and Pennsylvania and as far away as Africa. Suspects swapped their license plates, obscured vehicle identification numbers and disabled security features, Pirro’s office said.

“So far, we’ve connected these suspects to 117 vehicle thefts that occurred in 2025 in the District,” interim D.C. Chief of Police Jeffery Carroll said. “To put that number in perspective, that would account for 20% of all the motor vehicle thefts in the city so far this year. We believe these suspects are connected to additional crimes and we’re following up on many more cases.”

A yearlong investigation found that ring members used devices allowing them to reprogram cars to accept blank key fobs. Pirro explained how easy it is for thieves to use a key programmer to take cars without a key.

“They don’t need keys and they don’t need hot wiring,” she said. “No smashed windows, no drama. Just a sleek electronic device called an Autel, A-U-T-E-L. And in under a minute, the car’s brain is rewritten. The car is gone in 60 seconds. Welcome to the new world of car theft.”

Videos online demonstrate how to use the devices, which can be purchased for about $500 online. Pirro called for regulation of the devices.

“If you’re in the business of making sure that registering cars or licensing cars or repairing cars, that’s one thing,” she said.

“But to be able to buy this on your own, I think there definitely has to be some kind of legislation or registry.”

The defendants include Jacob Hernandez, 29, of Los Angeles; Dustin Wetzel, 23, of Woodbridge, Virginia; James Young, 23, of Hyattsville, Maryland; Khobe David, 24, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland; and Chance Clark, 25, of Waldorf, Maryland.

Pirro’s office didn’t immediately release the name of a sixth defendant, who remained at large. All six are charged with conspiracy to possess, sell and transport stolen motor vehicles.

Police say one way to protect cars from key-cloning devices is to use an old-fashioned steering wheel lock.

News4 reached out to Autel, the manufacturer of the key programing devices mentioned by prosecutors, but they did not respond.