Man’s guilty plea reveals 2-state auto-theft ring

HAMMOND, Ind. – A man who pleaded guilty to transporting stolen cars is helping authorities expose a multimillion-dollar auto-theft ring involving hundreds of victims across Indiana and Illinois, federal prosecutors say.\nMahmoud Yusef Nassar, 39, of Schererville was sentenced Thursday to 37 months in federal prison in exchange for his guilty plea in U.S. District Court in Hammond.\nAccording to federal court records, Nassar pleaded guilty to transporting two stolen cars – a Porsche and a Kia – across state lines after he paid employees of Illinois dealerships to give him the keys to the cars.\nHe was ordered to pay $57,500 restitution to the dealerships after his release from prison.\nNassar’s defense attorney, Kristina Garza, asked the judge to grant a lenient sentence because Nassar cooperated with authorities by giving up information about an expansive criminal organization operating across the region.\nNassar’s sentencing memorandum states that he gave up names and organizational details on the inner workings of an auto-theft ring involving hundreds of victims. That information already has led to search warrants and statements from others, according to court records.\n“Despite the significant danger posed to Mr. Nassar, he continues to remain devoted to assisting authorities in an attempt to put this matter behind him and separate himself from any and all of his past criminal activities,” Garza states in Hammond federal court documents.\nInvestigators declined to comment on the investigation, which is being handled jointly by the FBI, the Lake County Sheriff’s Department and the Schererville Police Department.\nNassar was born in Israel and became an American citizen at age 18. He operated out of an auto body shop near the FBI offices in Merrillville, and was a manager at an auto dealership in Harvey, Ill., according to case records.