D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) joined U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro on Wednesday to announce the takedown of a high-tech international car theft ring that authorities say stole vehicles across the mid-Atlantic and shipped them overseas for profit.
Federal prosecutors charged multiple suspects in connection with the operation, which Pirro said spanned across D.C., Maryland, and Pennsylvania, and relied on sophisticated technology to steal cars in under a minute.
Pirro said the theft ring used electronic programming devices, commonly referred to as “Autel” tools, to bypass vehicle security systems and create new key fobs without needing the original keys or forcing entry. The method allowed suspects to take vehicles “in seconds,” Pirro said, adding that the method signals a “new world of car theft.”
The group targeted a range of vehicles, from luxury sports cars to common sedans, and funneled them through a coordinated pipeline, Pirro explained.
She said vehicles were often moved
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