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TRENTON - Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal Justice Director Deborah L. Gramiccioni announced that a Plainfield man has been indicted on charges that he received two stolen vehicles, changed their vehicle identification numbers and conspired with a Philadelphia woman to falsely register one of the stolen vehicles.
According to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden Brown, Rakeem Kelly, 31, of Plainfield, was charged with second-degree receiving stolen property, two counts of third-degree prohibited alteration of motor vehicle trademark or identification number, third-degree tampering with public records or information, and third-degree conspiracy.
Latifa Snead, 32, of Philadelphia, was charged with third-degree tampering with public records or information and third-degree conspiracy.
The Union County grand jury indictment charges that between July 26, 2005 and Oct. 10, 2007, Kelly knowingly received a stolen 2002 Cadillac Escalade and a stolen 2006 BMW 750 LI. The indictment further alleges that Kelly subsequently altered the vehicle identification numbers on both of the vehicles in an effort to conceal the true origins and identity of the vehicles.
The indictment alleges that Kelly and Snead conspired to falsely register the BMW in Pennsylvania using fraudulent New Jersey documents. The alleged fraud was discovered by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, which referred the matter to the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor for further investigation.
Detectives Amy Carson, Jarek Pyrzanowski, and Jeffrey Lorman, and Deputy Attorney General John J. Higgins were assigned to the investigation into this case. Higgins presented the case to the Union County grand jury. Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Brown thanked the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission for their assistance in the investigation.
The indictment is merely an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Second-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in state prison and a criminal fine of $150,000, while crimes of the third degree carry a maximum sentence of five years in state prison and a criminal fine of $15,000.
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