Thieves use scheme to steal luxury cars, police say

Two men were arrested and charged for allegedly using a scheme to steal luxury cars. Police say they hit more than a dozen dealerships throughout the area.

They focused on cars and high-end vehicles with high price tags. They drove them off the lot before the banks caught up with them, and they knew what cars they wanted and what it took to get behind the wheel, police said.

Seattle Police say two men tried to play the part with an upscale look - in a well-planned ruse using fake documents to steal luxury cars.

The pair chose dealerships in Kirkland, Bellevue, Issaquah, Kent, Auburn and Seattle.

At Elliott Bay Auto Brokers they drove off a 2014 Porche 911 worth about $75,000. When they found out the paperwork was fake they called police. The car was later recovered by police and was back to be sold at auction with the Car Fax revealing it had been stolen.

At Michael's Toyota of Bellevue the men drove off in a 2016 BMW. Police tracked it down too.

The pair wanted a Maserati SUV and tried to get one at Rairdon's Maserati of Kirkland. As the pair tried to reach a deal they were reluctant to put down any cash. The deal stalled and the pair never came back. It was a detective who returned to the dealership to tell them about the fraud.

Daniel Choi Pewitt was arrested at Cadillac of Bellevue. An alert employee recognized the driver's license was too thick and called police.

Pewitt faces more than a dozen charges for motor vehicle theft and ID theft, and attempted motor vehicle theft.

Investigators say he didn't do it alone, they say he had an accomplice, George Koboum Kim. He is also charged with motor vehicle theft and ID theft, and attempted motor vehicle theft.

There is currently a warrant for Pewitt’s arrest. The King County Prosecutor’s Office says he failed to appear at his arraignment last month.

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