By Craig McCarthy | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on August 25, 2016 at 7:47 AM, updated August 25, 2016 at 11:12 AM
TRENTON — Two New Jersey residents and a Florida man are accused of running an auto-theft ring that recruited 14 others to scam people trying to sell cars on Craigslist, authorities said.
The trio — Luther Lewis, 38, of Piscataway, Tyisha Brantley, 36, of Scotch Plains, and Justinas Vaitoska, 39, of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. — were indicted Wednesday by a grand jury in Mercer County, Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino said in a release.
Authorities said the operation used fake bank checks to buy cars from online sellers and flip them at car dealerships in New Jersey. The scam netted $107,250 from 10 vehicles, which had a total value of $248,650, according to authorities.
Lewis, Brantley, Vaitoska are accused of running the scheme from May to November of 2015. They sent others to pose as buyers for a payout of $300 to $1,000 per car, authorities said.
