Traffic stop leads to grand theft charge for former Tampa car dealer

FLORIDA – A traffic stop on I-75 in Sumter County last week led to the arrest of a former Tampa car dealer for grand theft of a motor vehicle.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), troopers conducted a traffic stop for excessive speed and a tag violation on a 2018 Cadillac Escalade.

The driver, Yajaira Martinez, 39, of Riverview, reportedly advised troopers that she had no paperwork for the vehicle and that it had dealer plates attached.

The vehicle identification number (VIN) on the front windshield did not appear professional and appeared to have been tampered with, the FHP said.

After requesting to check the vehicle’s secondary VIN, the trooper said it appeared to have been tampered with.

The dealer tag was checked and, reportedly, was not assigned to the vehicle it was attached to. According to the FHP, the VIN indicated it was assigned to a 2020 Cadillac Escalade, although the vehicle that troopers had stopped was a 2018 Escalade.

Allegedly, both VIN decals had been swapped from the factory issue (2018 Cadillac Escalade) to reflect a 2020 Cadillac Escalade. A comparison of both VINs and the attached tag is said to have confirmed that the stopped vehicle was stolen from Pennsylvania.

After the driver consented to a search of the vehicle, materials that belonged to the original vehicle (2018 Cadillac) were reportedly found within it. Martinez is then said to have advised troopers that she owned a car dealership in Tampa that had recently closed called Champa Bay Auto Brokers, first licensed in April 2022, and closed in April 2023.

Troopers continued their investigation by responding to the vicinity of the dealership, where they reported locating a 2022 Cadillac Escalade that was confirmed to have been stolen from Clearwater in June 2023 and allegedly had been “re-vinned.”

Martinez was arrested and transported to Hernando County Jail on the charges of grand theft of a motor vehicle and possession of a vehicle with altered numbers.

This investigation remains active and ongoing.