Two men charged in Monroe auto resale fraud scheme

Two men engaged in an alleged auto resale scam have turned themselves in to the Monroe Police Department and face multiple larceny and fraud charges.

According to a report in The Monroe Sun, Edgar D. Gonzalez of Monroe and Elmer Pacheo-Diaz of Stratford advertised an automobile for sale on Facebook Marketplace last fall and sold it to a Monroe resident in a cash transaction that took place in a Monroe parking lot. with an altered odometer and title. The buyer was unable to register the vehicle and discovered the odometer was altered from its actual 219,000 miles to a fraudulent 121,000 miles.

Through an investigation, the police were able to identify Gonzalez and Pacheco-Diaz as suspects and applied for arrest warrants. Gonzalez was charged with third-degree telephone fraud, second-degree criminal attempt at larceny, second-degree conspiracy to commit larceny, third-degree conspiracy to commit larceny, two counts of first-degree conspiracy to commit forgery, and first-degree conspiracy to commit illegal tampering with an odometer and violation of conditions of release. He is being held on a $75,000 bond.

Pacheco-Diaz was charged with first-degree forgery, first-degree conspiracy to commit forgery, second-degree larceny, third-degree larceny, second-degree conspiracy to commit larceny, third-degree conspiracy to commit larceny and illegal tampering with an odometer. He was released after posting a $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 3.