Crime and Auto Fraud

Florida Highway Patrol has arrested Michael Anthony Lucci, 32, and his wife, Emily Marie Lucci, 30, owners of Luxury Auto Source in Davie, on a raft of felony charges alleging they falsified paperwork to obtain rebuilt Florida titles for at least nine high‑end vehicles and then flipped them at steep markups. According to investigative documents cited by NBC 6 and Fox, troopers began probing the dealership after a 2020 Nissan GT‑R application included a fabricated $18,000 parts invoice—when the real repair bill was about $1,200—and then uncovered eight more cars with allegedly bogus invoices, including a Bentley, BMW M3, Porsche 911, Toyota Supra, Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, and Cadillac Escalade. Both Luccis are charged with nine counts each of making false statements on bills of sale, possessing counterfeit titles or registrations, perjury by written declaration, and uttering forged instruments, plus one count each of racketeering and organized fraud, reflecting what investigators describe as a pattern of deceptive titling through Florida’s motor‑vehicle system. In at least one case, a Hellcat’s engine was traced to a car stolen in North Carolina, and the GT‑R’s asking price jumped to $94,500 from a documented $55,000 sale in 2022, underscoring how title and VIN manipulation can entwine with interstate auto theft and leave buyers exposed. The case adds to law‑enforcement concerns about title‑washing schemes in online and specialty auto markets, where social media already features warnings to run VIN checks and scrutinize 'rebuilt' titles before wiring six‑figure sums for performance cars.