MIAMI, FL – According to law enforcement authorities, a Miami auto tag agency employee has been apprehended following an investigation into a high-priced vehicle theft operation that led to the discovery of a title fraud scheme worth over $3.3 million. Katherine M. Vera Moran, 27, faces 18 charges each of title fraud and official misconduct, announced the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office on Tuesday.
The inquiry into Vera Moran’s activities began in January when Doral Police officers, while probing a car theft, traced the stolen vehicle to a local auto repair shop. Upon executing a search warrant at the facility, the officers discovered three stolen luxury vehicles, including a 2022 Lamborghini Urus, a 2023 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera, and a 2021 Mercedes-Benz G550. Two counterfeit VIN plates were also recovered on the premises.
The shop owner was taken into custody for running a chop shop. Following his interrogation, the authorities were alerted to Vera Moran’s involvement as a clerk at a Miami tag agency. It was revealed that Vera Moran received an additional $800-1,000 for each fraudulent title transaction, accepting payments via cash or Cash App before falsifying the titles and tax documents of stolen vehicles.
Vera Moran allegedly executed the scheme by manipulating VINs of total loss vehicles and transferring them to the stolen cars. A total of 18 vehicles were recovered or positively identified with tampered VINs, with 12 confirmed as stolen. The total value of the recovered and identified stolen vehicles amounted to approximately $3,385,000, all processed by Vera Moran, as per the prosecutors.
“Falsified title transfers not only trick the system but also inflict significant damage on victims who endure property loss and insurance companies who are forced to cover theft claims,” stated Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle. “Such offenses can have a lasting and harmful impact on our community, burdening the hardworking citizens of Miami-Dade County by increasing car insurance premiums.”
Court records indicate that Vera Moran was incarcerated on Monday and appeared in court on Tuesday, where a Miami-Dade judge set her bail at $50,000.