Welcome to Arrest Stories. A thirty-one-year-old Miami man faces twenty-nine felony charges after allegedly orchestrating a sophisticated seven-hundred-thousand-dollar vehicle fraud scheme that targeted multiple dealerships and lenders across South Florida. Here's what may have happened.
Cristian Machado found himself in handcuffs Monday following an investigation into what authorities describe as a classic credit bust out operation. The elaborate scheme allegedly netted Machado more than a dozen high-end vehicles and personal watercraft valued at nearly seven hundred thousand dollars over an eleven-day period.
According to police reports, Machado's operation ran from June fourth through June fifteenth of twenty twenty-four. During this narrow window, he allegedly executed fraudulent purchases by misrepresenting his financial condition to various lenders. The scheme centered on Machado claiming an annual salary of two hundred seventy thousand dollars on credit applications, a figure investigators say was completely fabricated.
The bust out method proved devastatingly effective. By purchasing numerous vehicles in rapid succession, Machado allegedly exploited the delay between transactions and when purchases appear on credit reports. This timing gap allowed him to secure financing from multiple lenders before his mounting debt became visible to subsequent creditors.
Kendall Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram became one of the targeted dealerships, where Machado allegedly acquired two vehicles as part of his spree. The total value of vehicles obtained during the bust out reached six hundred ninety-eight thousand one hundred fifty-six dollars.
Investigators believe the fraudulently obtained vehicles were often illegally subleased on the black market or had their titles transferred to other states, making recovery efforts more challenging. The scheme involved registering multiple vehicles through different lenders, creating a complex web of fraudulent transactions.
Machado now faces fourteen counts of grand theft, fourteen counts of obtaining a vehicle by trick, and one count of organized fraud exceeding fifty thousand dollars. He appeared before a judge Tuesday, was appointed a public defender, and was granted bond.
All suspects presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Do not take this report as factual, always verify facts. Thanks for watching Arrest Stories.