North Carolina cops seek victims in fraudulent commercial vehicle sale scheme

The Catawba County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) is looking for victims of a commercial vehicle and heavy equipment fraud scheme involving a father-son duo.

On February 17, CCSO issued a call to the public in identifying victims of a scheme orchestrated by Virgil Garrett, 64, and his son Noah Garrett, 27, in the western North Carolina area.

The Garretts have been charged with obtaining property by false pretense and felony conversion, officials say, though additional charges are pending.

The charges are related to a scheme in which the Garretts allegedly obtained commercial vehicles and heavy equipment through rental agreements and then fraudulently sold them to buyers across western North Carolina.

“These buyers were allegedly convinced by this father-son duo they had a legal right to sell this equipment,” CCSO said of the scheme, which is believed to have been going on for several months.

CCSO seeks additional victims to determine the extent of the scheme and the amount of financial loss that it cause.

“We are confident there are more victims out there who have not yet come forward” said, Sergeant Stobbe, lead investigator in the case. “If you or someone you know has been deceived by these individuals, we strongly urge you to contact our office. Even if you didn’t realize you were a victim at the time, we want to hear from you.”

If you have information, you’re asked to contact the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office at 828-464-3112 or astobbe@catawbacountync.gov.