A criminal investigation by the Arizona Department of Transportation led to the arrest of the owner of a former Authorized Third Party business in the Valley who fraudulently used vehicle titles to obtain loans from banks and other institutions.
As part of its monitoring of Authorized Third Party providers, the Motor Vehicle Division’s Compliance Unit discovered irregularities in the record-keeping of the suspect, Tamica Goree, 44, owner of Motor Vehicle Southwest in Peoria. ADOT’s Office of Inspector General investigated the allegations of criminal violations.
The investigation found that Goree had fraudulently added her name to the title of a 2011 Maserati sedan and then fraudulently removed the lienholder from the title. She then used the vehicle as collateral to obtain multiple bank loans. She also fraudulently used Motor Vehicle Division databases to receive loans on a newer model Porsche.
The Motor Vehicle Division immediately took steps to suspend Goree as a processor and shut down her business.
Goree’s case went before a state grand jury, which indicted her on four counts of fraudulent schemes and artifices, all felonies. ADOT detectives arrested Goree and booked her into the Maricopa County Fourth Avenue Jail on Sept. 6.