Two employees at a Toronto-area car dealership were arrested as part of Project Warden, an ongoing auto theft investigation launched in August, and now face 176 charges.
Toronto Police on Wednesday said they uncovered a scheme resulting in fraudulent and criminal activities worth around $2,188,000. The employees allegedly used their positions to acquire and sell stolen vehicles to consumers, unaware of the theft, under the impression it was part of the dealership’s used car sales.
The results of Project Warden were announced by Inspector Heather Nichols and Detective Dan Kraehling from 53 Division. “These initiatives have resulted in more than a dozen arrests, over 100 charges laid, and the recovery of more than 100 stolen vehicles, marking significant strides in our fight against auto theft,” said Inspector Nichols in a statement.
When asked if the dealership knew of the fraud, Detective Krehling said: “they caught on several months after they started, at which point they did report it to the police.”
The stolen vehicles were bought from numbered companies, some actually owned by the accused person in question, using funds from the dealership. They would then create fake sales agreements using “clean” VINs (Vehicle Identification Numbers) and alter Carfax reports, “giving buyers the appearance of a legitimate purchase.”
In its update, Toronto Police said investigators linked the accused employees to 22 fraudulent auto sales while they were working at the dealership and acting as a legitimate car sales representative. The employees are Harris Bocknek, 35, of Barrie and Fadi Zeto, 32, of Mississauga.
In his LinkedIn profile, Bocknek lists six different car dealerships where he has worked in the GTA since 2010, working with brands like Mitsubishi, Nissan, and Volkswagen.
“The goal of Project Warden was to locate and arrest individuals responsible for trafficking stolen vehicles within the City of Toronto,” said Detective Kraehling in a statement. “We do believe there are more victims.”
