Crime is stupid, but repeatedly posting it on Instagram is even stupider
- Three suspects were arrested in connection with the theft of 13 high-performance Dodge vehicles.
- Social media posts incriminating the suspects eventually led to their capture.
- The thieves face multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit burglary and vehicle theft.
Stealing a car is obviously a crime, and crafty criminals sometimes find ways to evade capture. More often, though, the alleged car thieves get caught, especially when they brag about their illegal deeds online. Sit back and think about this one, because as far as criminals go, at least one person in this story doesn’t seem to be the smartest.
Police recently arrested three men for allegedly stealing 13 vehicles in July 2023. That same month, police arrested one of the three, Jesse Venegas, after seeing him hanging around a Dodge dealership.
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When they arrested him, he had a spare key fob and burglary tools on him. The next day, Venegas was released from jail and caught on surveillance video, allegedly driving a stolen Charger near where he had been arrested the day before.
More than two months later, Venegas appeared on social media, pointing to a gray Dodge Charger and saying, “Let’s take that car,” investigators said. About four days later, the owner of the same car reported it stolen, and Venegas posted a video of himself driving the car.
A week later, a similar incident occurred. A Challenger Hellcat was stolen, and Venegas again posted a video of himself driving the car. The next day, the owner of the car reported to the police that a GPS tracker was installed in the car.
After police tracked down the car, the owner told police that Venegas paid him $200 to $300 to store the stolen cars there, and admitted that he had done so for seven or eight vehicles in the past year.
Over the next few months, Venegas and his two accomplices, Nathan Olivas and Christopher Anderson, continued to steal vehicles, post about them on social media, and sell them for just a few thousand dollars each.
Authorities believe they also operated a black business. The trio is facing charges of felony conspiracy, vehicle theft, possession of a stolen vehicle, vandalism, receiving stolen property and operating a black business. It is not clear when their next court appearance will be.
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