Covington man arrested for attempting to sell stolen, cloned vehicle

(Stone Mountain, Georgia)  The Gwinnett County Police Department is reporting the arrest of a Covington man for attempting to sell a stolen cloned vehicle.

According to a press release from GCPD, on Thursday, June 20, detectives assigned to the Motor Vehicle Theft Unit and officers assigned to the South Precinct arrested Miles Nimmons, 21, of Covington and charged him with Theft by Receiving Stolen Property, Altered VIN, and Criminal Attempt to Commit a Felony.  He was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail and bonded out the same day.

On June 19, a Lilburn man purchased a vehicle through OfferUp but when he tried to register it, he learned the vehicle was stolen.  The seller had given him a fraudulent title, and a fake VIN was covering up the true VIN behind the windshield.

On June 20, the original victim found another listing by the same seller, this time listing a 2016 black Chevrolet Tahoe for sale for $16,580.  This price is well below fair market value, and so he contacted GCPD, who then contacted the seller and made an offer to purchase the vehicle. They arranged to meet in the parking lot of 1825 Rockbridge Road in unincorporated Stone Mountain. When the man arrived driving the black Chevrolet Tahoe, a felony stop was executed and Nimmons was arrested.

Based on the true VIN, the vehicle was stolen out of Miami, Fla. on May 4. It belonged to Enterprise Rental and was obtained through fraud. However, the suspect was not the same person who sold the original victim his vehicle on June 19.

GCPD offers the following private purchase vehicle buying tips:

• If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  The value of the vehicle should be fair market value.
• When buying from a private seller, ask for identification.  The name of the seller must match the name of the person listed on the title.
• Always meet in a public place.  Be cautious of sellers trying to change the meeting location.
• The mileage should match the age of the vehicle.
• Get a Carfax report at https://www.carfax.com/