Texas law enforcement gave a word of warning to Ford F-Series truck owners after they had contracted an organized crime ring aimed at the popular vehicle model.
Three men in Texas are confronted with charges for alleged strips of the rear lights of dozens of high-quality Ford trucks, indicating a new trend of feeding thefts with owners on a high alert.
Jimmy Dean Miller, Jaleel D. Fasion and Sergio Giovanni Sanfilippo are accused of organized criminal activities after the police say that the trio has stolen more than $ 92,000 in rear lights.
The Ring operated between September 2024 and January 2025, aimed at 34 victims, according to the Webster Police Department.
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From the left, Sergio Giovanni Sanfilippo, Jimmy Dean Miller and Jaleel D. Fasion are accused of organized criminal activities after dozens of Ford trucks were the target of thefts on a rear light throughout Texas. (Webster Police Department; David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Miller, Fasion and Sanfilippo traveled through the I-45 Highway Corridor in between Houston and Galveston, According to the authorities. Officers relied on surveillance to follow the suspects when they entered with many traffic areas, which ultimately set a likely cause for the arrests.
Most of the vehicles directed by the three men were F-350s according to the police. The latest models of the trucks can cost more than $ 100,000.
“We found that rear lights of Luxury Ford vehicles Were stolen, “Webster Police Chief Pete Bacon told Fox News Digital.” We believe that the reason is that these rear lights contain specific sensors, and these sensors are part of the entire (luxury) system and cost a lot of money. ”
As soon as thieves have access to the tailgate of a vehicle, they can remove the lights by simply screwing them off the truck and completing the loot within a few seconds.
“If two or three boys work in combination, they can remove these lights within a minute,” Bacon told Fox News Digital.
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Ford F-150 Pick-up trucks at a dealer in Colma, California, on July 22, 2022. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty images)
Bacon believes that the rear lights were sold online to truck owners who are looking for replacements, but may not want to pay a selling price. The research showed that the trio sold the stolen parts at locations such as Facebook -Marketplaats, The police said with a victim who may bought his own headlights.
Bacon encourages drivers to take precautions to protect their vehicles.
Drivers can buy aftermarket -lag locks or scratch a series of numbers in the inside of their rear lights, making them identifiable if they are stolen, according to Bacon. Truck owners must consult the dealer of their truck to ensure that any security measures do not affect their warranty.
The Ford logo on a truck on the Detroit Auto Show on Huntington Place on January 10, 2025. (Bill Pugliano/Getty images)
Ford did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comments.
Court reports indicate that the three men are confronted with criminal prosecution for the theft. Fasion is being charged but has been released from detention and Sanfilippo is currently on bond.
A judge of the magistrate ruled that no probable cause was found in Miller’s case, but public prosecutors are planning to re -make the charges through a large jury, the office of the public prosecutor told Fox News Digital.
The Webster Police Department collaborated with the Galveston County Auto Crimes Task Force, League City Police Department and Seabroook Police Department to arrest the suspects.
Ford F-350s are common goals of thieves, the police said. (Ford)
Bacon warns that although this started as a regional problem, there is a chance of copycat criminals and truck owners have to take precautions to protect their vehicles.
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“As soon as a group of thieves find out what kind of niche they do after, we probably have more,” Bacon said. “There will be other rings that focus on rear lights. I don’t think with these three arrests that this problem will end. “
