A St. Louis man has been sentenced to 87 months in federal prison for his role in a vehicle sale fraud scheme that targeted victims across several counties in Illinois. Alen Saric, aged 36, pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
The scheme involved defrauding private vehicle sellers on platforms like Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist using fake cashier's checks. These checks were printed with the names and logos of real banks but contained fraudulent routing numbers. The co-conspirators would resell the vehicles before the original sellers could realize the checks were worthless.
Saric was part of a group indicted for these activities, which included Valentino Colic, Almir Palic, and Emad Hasanbegovic, all from St. Louis. Colic received a sentence of 145 months in March, while Palic was sentenced to 51 months in February. Both Saric and Colic have been ordered to pay over $1 million in restitution, with Palic also responsible for a portion of this amount.
Hasanbegovic faces charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and identity theft and is due in court later this month.
U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft emphasized the importance of verifying checks from unknown sources: “It’s important for the public to authenticate checks from people not personally known to them by confirming with the issuing bank or waiting until checks are accepted into their bank account before transferring property or otherwise sending funds.”
The FBI Springfield Special Agent in Charge Christopher Johnson highlighted the collaborative effort among law enforcement agencies that led to these convictions: "This investigation is a testament to the strength of collaboration across local, state, and federal law enforcement."
The investigation was conducted by multiple agencies including the FBI Springfield Field Office, Metro East Auto Theft Task Force, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Illinois State Police, Illinois Secretary of State Police, Jefferson County Sheriff's Department (Missouri), along with various local police departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter T. Reed is prosecuting the case.