BURLINGTON, WI – A 27-year-old man was summoned to the Racine County Circuit Court Thursday after being charged with defrauding an individual to steal a vehicle.
Jordan M. Hardy, of South Beloit, Ill., faces felony charges by the Racine County District Attorney’s Office for impersonating a man by the name “Shomari Wright.” He used documents to purchase a 2019 Dodge Challenger valued at $47,267.25. Upon conviction, Hardy could face criminal penalties of up to $25,000 in fines or imprisonment for up to 10 years.
According to the criminal complaint, officers responded to Lynch Chevrolet, 2300 Browns Lake Drive, on May 9, 2019 for a report of fraud. A man identifying himself as “Shomari Wright” submitted papers to purchase a 2019 Dodge Challenger on May 8 and left the dealership with the vehicle.
Lynch filed the loan paperwork to the bank, only to learn on May 9 that the paperwork was denied for being fraudulent.
“Wright” was contacted to provide his Social Security Card and pay stubs and agreed to do so, though he never did. Hardy took the vehicle from the dealership without obtaining consent to not pay for the vehicle.
Police recovered the vehicle in Rockford, Ill. and informed investigators in Wisconsin that “Wright” was actually Hardy. A fake license used to purchase the vehicle, using Wright’s name and date of birth, was compared with a known photo of Hardy, revealing the individual as Hardy.
The investigation also revealed that a dealership in West Allis also had two cars fraudulently taken by “Wright” and a female identified as “Everly Jackson.” The two left the dealership with a BMW and an Audi.
Hardy drove the stolen Audi to the Lynch dealership, where he fraudulently purchased the Dodge Challenger.
Hardy was asked by investigators where he obtained the fake license but declined to answer.
Racine County Circuit Court Judge Mark Nielsen issued a warrant for Hardy’s arrest on Friday.