Posted: August 28, 2012
A Philadelphia man drove an illegally registered car to his preliminary hearing for his alleged role in an international car theft ring, police said.
So did the person who sold him the car, who was at the hearing but not as a defendant, police said.
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| Dennis Koroma |
The cars were spotted in the parking lot of district court last month in Bensalem by Trooper Paul Movsesian, of the state police auto theft task force. Movsesian was there for the July 24 hearing for Dennis Koroma and others charged by the Pennsylvania attorney general with stealing at least 57 luxury cars worth more than $2.3 million last year.
Koroma, 25, allegedly drove a 2001 Honda Accord with a fake temporary registration tag that he allegedly purchased the day before the hearing, police said.
Movsesian noticed the Delaware paper tag and checked its vehicle identification number, according to court records. The VIN check showed that the car was assigned a salvage title, making it illegal to operate on the road, court documents show.
When state police confronted Koroma in the courtroom, he produced the Honda’s keys and said he bought it from Walid Haida, 34, of Philadelphia, according to court documents.
The Delaware Department of Motor Vehicles confirmed the tag and registration were counterfeit.
Koroma, who is free on bail on the auto theft charges, was charged last week with 16 third-degree felony counts of tampering with public records, forgery and conspiracy and 10 related misdemeanors in connection with the illegally registered car. He was arraigned Monday before Bensalem District Judge Joseph Falcone and released on $40,000 unsecured bail.
The other car — a gray 2006 Ford Mustang coupe — had a temporary Pennsylvania tag, which also was fake, police said. Haida, identified as the owner, was inside the courtroom July 24 too, as a spectator, police said.
Haida produced a fake temporary registration and insurance card for the Mustang and told Movsesian that he sold the Honda to Koroma and obtained the temporary Delaware registration documents for him, according to the affidavit.
State police have issued an arrest warrant for Haida for charges identical to Koroma’s.
Jo Ciavaglia: 215-949-4181; email: jciavaglia@phillyBurbs.com; Twitter: @jociavaglia
The VIN Check, is engraved in the vehicle, and although there is no standard location, generally, we will find it in one of the following locations: under the hood, in the engine compartment, although it could also be inside the passenger compartment, under the passenger seat, on the dashboard or driver's door.
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