A Union County man, Nathaniel Bell, has been sentenced to 57 months in prison for his involvement in a conspiracy related to stolen vehicles. Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced the sentencing on January 28, 2025. Bell, aged 27 from Linden, New Jersey, had previously pleaded guilty to charges including conspiracy to receive stolen vehicles and altering vehicle identification numbers (VINs).
Bell led a criminal operation that involved acquiring stolen vehicles from various states such as New Jersey, New York, and Florida. The group then obtained fraudulent titles and altered VINs to disguise the theft before selling these vehicles to dealerships or individuals for profit. In some cases, they even resold cars after stealing them back from purchasers.
In addition to his prison sentence, Bell received three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay restitution. His co-conspirators include Johnathan Tanksley from Orange; L’Hubermane Felix from Miami; and Dayanna Sarango-Hidalgo from Newark—all of whom have pleaded guilty. Felix has already been sentenced to 24 months in prison, while Tanksley and Sarango-Hidalgo are awaiting sentencing.
The investigation leading to Bell's sentencing was credited by Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna to several law enforcement agencies including the FBI under Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly in Newark. Other contributors included the New Jersey State Police Auto Theft Task Force and various police departments across multiple states.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Kober of the Organized Crimes/Gangs Unit in Newark represented the government in this case.
Defense counsel for Nathaniel Bell was Jason F. Orlando.