Investigations

On March 8, 2022, in Miami-Dade County Florida, Andres David Diaz and Nicole Gladys Chiong—owners of Soho Alliance, LLC and J-Spec Garage, LLC—were indicted for false statements on motor vehicle applications, uttering and publishing forged documents with intent to defraud, racketeering, identity theft, unlawful use of a two-way device, concealing vehicle identification numbers, and theft. Chiong was also charged with notarizing fraudulent certificates as a public notary. On March 7, the Florida Highway Patrol arrested Diaz and Chiong and according to the arrest affidavit, between November 2014 and October 2020, Diaz and Chiong fraudulently obtained hundreds of Florida title certificates for motor vehicles that were illegally imported into the United States. The conspirators allegedly forged or intentionally neglected required DOT, U.S. Customs, and Environmental Protection Agency forms associated with the importation of vehicles, then sold the illegally titled vehicles across the United States, earning hundreds of thousands of dollars.

 

DOT-OIG is conducting this investigation with Homeland Security Investigations and the Florida Highway Patrol.

 

Note: Indictments, informations, and criminal complaints are only accusations by the Government. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.