Negev Man Charged for Selling and Re-Stealing Stolen Cars Sent to Palestinian Territories

The Israeli State Prosecution filed charges on Wednesday against 31-year-old Tarek Elabid from Kseifa in the Negev. He is accused of selling stolen vehicles by falsely presenting them as legitimate, then stealing them back and transferring them to Palestinian Authority areas. The indictment, submitted to the Beersheba District Court by attorney Giora Hazan of the Southern District Prosecution, details multiple offenses including fraud, identity theft, forgery, vehicle theft, and trafficking in stolen cars.

According to the indictment, Elabid obtained stolen vehicles and identified identical legal vehicles offered for sale. He then forged ownership transfer documents and impersonated others to fraudulently transfer ownership of the legal vehicles. He altered the identification details of the stolen cars to match the legal ones and sold them to third parties. After completing the sales, he allegedly arranged for the vehicles to be stolen again and moved to Palestinian Authority territories to gain additional profit and avoid detection.

One specific case involved a Toyota Corolla sold for 78,500 shekels to two brothers from Lod. Elabid used a fake ID bearing another person's details but his photo, along with forged documents, to transfer ownership fraudulently. He then posted the stolen car for sale on Facebook, posing as the legal owner. After the sale, he sent an accomplice to steal the vehicle using a pre-installed GPS tracker. The car was later found at the Meitar checkpoint.

In another case involving a Jeep Wrangler, Elabid similarly transferred ownership without the original owner's knowledge or consent. This scheme was uncovered when the legitimate owner noticed the fraudulent transfer and filed a police complaint, preventing the plan from being completed.

The charges highlight a sophisticated criminal operation involving document forgery, identity deception, and cross-border vehicle theft and trafficking.