Rental Car Theft Ring Shipped Stolen SUVs to Ghana for a Year. The Weak Link Wasn't the Car.

Amadou Diol received a sentence of five years in federal prison for stealing more than 20 rental cars, but prosecutors say the more consequential element was the identity-theft operation behind the vehicles. From December 2020 to December 2021, Diol and co-conspirators rented cars across the central and eastern United States, then shipped them overseas—federal export data points to destinations likely including Ghana, Nigeria, or the UAE. U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania said the group used real drivers’ licenses belonging to people unaware of the fraud, and fabricated licenses when needed. Diol pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy and two counts involving transporting stolen vehicles.