Chop Shop Case Investigation Receives 3M/IAATI Award; Component Part Labels Key to Cracking Ring of Auto Theft
Case Investigation of United States v Theodore Dizelos Receives 3M/IAATI Award; Component Part Labels Key to Cracking Ring of Auto Theft
ST. PAUL, Minn., Aug. 6 3M and the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators (IAATI) today honored the case investigation of United States v Theodore Dizelos for successfully sleuthing the sale of stolen vehicles with altered component part labels and vehicle identification numbers (VINs). The case of United States v Theodore Dizelos resulted in the first indictment in the state of Maryland under the 1992 federal "chop shop" statute. The defendant was found guilty of obtaining stolen cars, removing their VINs, replacing them with VINs from wrecked cars, reselling the vehicles to unsuspecting care dealerships, which in turn sold them to individuals. Investigators documented a total loss value of $1.4 million. The 13th annual 3M/IAATI Vehicle Theft Investigation Award was presented at the annual IAATI meeting in Virginia Beach, Va. The honored team comprised representatives from the Metro Transit Police (Washington, D.C. metropolitan area); the Maryland State Police; the FBI; Montgomery County Police; the Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms Laboratory; the National Insurance Crime Bureau; and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Greenbelt, Md. Authorities first learned of the crime when victims John and JoAnn Smale became suspicious they had just repurchased their car that had been stolen the previous month. An investigation revealed that two of the car's component part labels had been unlawfully removed and others showed signs of tampering, confirming the Smale's suspicion that they had unknowingly purchased their own stolen vehicle. Investigators traced the sale of the stolen vehicle to Theodore Dizelos, owner of Rockville Auto Sales, Silver Spring, Md. The final investigation revealed a total of 68 stolen vehicles, most of which were marked with component part labels. "The labels played a key role in this investigation," said Sergeant James Holmes, Metro Transit Police. "They allowed us to identify stolen vehicles, detect vehicles with altered VINs and eliminate non-stolen vehicles legitimately sold by the defendant." According to reports from the National Institute of Justice and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, anti-theft labels have been a significant contributor to the continued decline of auto theft in the United States since the early 1990s. The studies report that component parts anti-theft labels assist most big city and state auto theft investigators in arresting and prosecuting car and parts thieves. The Vehicle Theft Investigation Award, co-sponsored by 3M and the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators, is given annually to recognize outstanding efforts of an auto theft investigator or team where anti-theft VIN labels played a critical role in the investigation. A leader in security products, 3M provides security labeling systems to many of the world's largest automotive manufacturers. For more information, contact 3M Security Market Center at 1-800-328-7098, ext. 5. 3M is a trademark of 3M company.
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