JUST IN: U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro BUSTS Massive International Auto Theft Ring

U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro has just announced the take-down of a highly-organized international auto theft ring.

Authorities say crews stole cars across D.C., Maryland, and Pennsylvania then shipped them overseas to be sold on the black market.

But, the scariest part of this is how easily it was done.

With the advancement of technology, auto theft crews no longer need to bust windows or hot-wire a car to steal it.

They can simply use a sleek electronic device, called an Autel, to rewrite your car’s internal computer and re-program a new key fob. It takes less than a minute.

The process is much more like hacking into a cell phone than breaking into a car.

As Jeanine Pirro put it,

“Welcome to the new world of car theft.”

Watch a clip from her press conference announcing the charges here:

JUST IN: U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announces a 15-count federal indictment against an INTERNATIONAL AUTO THEFT RING accused of using new technology to steal cars in under a minute.

“No smashed windows, no drama… just a sleek electronic device… and in under a minute, the… pic.twitter.com/IuChCNuiCo

— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 22, 2026

JUST IN: U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announces a 15-count federal indictment against an INTERNATIONAL AUTO THEFT RING accused of using new technology to steal cars in under a minute.

“No smashed windows, no drama… just a sleek electronic device… and in under a minute, the car’s brain is rewritten. The car is gone in 60 seconds. Welcome to the new world of car theft.”

So far, five men have been indicted as part of the criminal ring.

They targeted all types of vehicles, from expensive Corvettes to Honda Civics.

As long as the car has an internal computer, they can hack into it.

Fox News reported further:

Pirro said the crews have acted in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Pennsylvania to steal a wide range of vehicles, from higher-end Corvettes and Camaros to one of America’s most popular vehicles, the Honda Civic.

Once stolen, the suspects allegedly disabled tracking systems, including GPS and Bluetooth, to avoid detection, and “cooled off” vehicles at locations where license plates were swapped — including a parking garage at a Maryland Marriott. They allegedly then loaded them onto transport carriers at ports in Savannah, Georgia, and Baltimore, Maryland.

The stolen cars are hidden in containers labeled as furniture to avoid scrutiny, Pirro said. Investigators say the vehicles were then sent overseas, primarily to Africa, where they were sold on the black market for high profits.

“This isn’t joyriding,” Pirro said. “These are high-end vehicles that are then loaded on transport carriers … shipped across the ocean to Africa, where demand is sky high and profits are enormous.”

“Welcome to the new world of car theft,” Pirro added.

The indictment identifies more than 20 stolen vehicles worth nearly $1 million, but investigators believe the operation may be far larger — potentially tied to over 100 thefts in Washington, D.C., and more than 30 in Prince George’s County, Maryland, with a total value approaching $4 million.

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The five men charged so far include Jacob Hernandez, David Coby, Dustin Wetzel, Chance Clark and James Young. They face multiple federal charges, including conspiracy, possession and transport of stolen vehicles, as well as related offenses.

If you want to see it, you can watch today’s full press conference here:

WATCH LIVE: US Attorney Jeanine Pirro announces takedown of international car theft ring https://t.co/JETsgwaui0

— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 22, 2026

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