The alleged ringmaster of a multistate car theft syndicate was arraigned Tuesday on allegations he and others used GPS trackers to hunt down vehicles, which they pinched and sold to unwitting buyers through online marketplaces such as Craigslist, according to federal authorities.

Warren Guerrier, 46, formerly of Hackensack and Newark, was indicted on federal wire fraud, conspiracy and aggravated identity theft charges three years after his arrest by FBI agents, who claim he utilized electronic trackers, reprogrammed keys and a roster of accomplices carrying counterfeit documents to sell 30 stolen vehicles across four states, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced.

From 2016 until his arrest in June 2020, Guerrier and his conspirators allegedly cased apartment complexes, shopping centers and hotels in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and New York, looking for older model cars manufactured by Honda and Acura, which were known to include spare keys in the glove box intended for parking valets, according to prior statements by authorities.

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Once a vehicle was chosen for the scheme, Guerrier would affix a GPS tracker to the car, and photograph it for an online ad ― purportedly posted by the vehicle's legal owner. After arranging a potential sale, Guerrier would find the vehicle using the GPS and activate the valet key with a device that rendered all other keys to the vehicle inoperable, the indictment claims.

During the sale, buyers would be met by one of several accomplices, who would exchange the cars for cash. The seller would furnish the customer with the valet key and a counterfeit title designed to match a fraudulent driver's license in case the buyer asked to see the seller's identification, the court alleged.

Throughout the duration of the scheme, Guerrier and his conspirators are said to have stolen as many as 40 vehicles and netted the syndicate $285,000, according to court documents.

If convicted on all charges, Guerrier could face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, with an additional two-year prison term and another $250,000 fine for identity theft.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Car theft ring across NJ, PA, VA and NY indictment released