Crime

2 Suburban Detroit Men Accused of Stealing Recalled Cars From Silverdome Lot

March 11, 2019, 4:40 PM by  Allan Lengel


Silverdome (Photo by Wikimedia - Alex Simple)

Two suburban Detroit men have been charged with stealing dozens of recalled Volkswagens and Audis from the Pontiac Silverdome parking lot in 2017, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Detroit announced Monday. 

Daniel Onorati, 41, of Eastpointe, was arraigned last week in U.S. District Court in Detroit and released on an unsecured bond pending trial. Romane Porter, 42, of Farmington Hills, is scheduled to be arraigned April 12.

The recalled cars were among hundreds stored at the Silverdome after Volkswagen agreed to repurchase diesel-powered vehicles that were part of the emissions cheating scandal.  The Silverdome closed for good in 2013.

Authorities allege that from March,to September of  2017, Porter and Onorati conspired to steal approximately 61 Volkswagen and Audi vehicles from the lot. Of those cars, 46 left the state.

 “I am grateful for the partnership between our Auto Theft Unit, the FBI, and the US Attorney’s Office who brought this organized auto theft activity to a close,” said Oakland County Sheriff Michael J. Bouchard in a statement. “These individuals were bold in their behavior in stealing such a large volume of vehicles from a well-known location." 



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