Alberta RCMP charge three people in $10M luxury vehicle scam

EDMONTON — Three men have been charged in connection with a multi-million dollar luxury vehicle export scheme.

Duy Hung Nguyn, Quyen Hong Tran and Thi Kim Hoang Quan each face several charges including fraud over $5,000, money laundering and trafficking in proceeds of crime.

Nguyen was arrested in Burnaby B.C. on June 9, while Tran was arrested in Edmonton the same day. Quan was arrested two days later in Leduc County.

Alberta RCMP's Federal Serious and Organized Crime (FSOC) section says for more than a year, Nguyen was using straw buyers to fraudulently purchase 43 luxury vehicles at a total value of $10-million, then export them to Vietnam for resale.

A straw buyer is a person who buys an item for someone else who would otherwise be unable to make the purchase.

The proceeds were then filtered back to Canada and not the straw buyers, resulting in the defaulting of loans of over $2.6 million, according to police.

"The victims of this scheme have suffered considerable loss, including bankruptcy, financial ruin and mental and emotional stress," said Const. Phil Pinon

RCMP warn that if you don't need to purchase a vehicle for yourself, don't purchase one at all.

RCMP believe Nguyen has conducted the same fraud in other jurisdictions across Canada. He has been known to use aliases: Ken, Mike, Hung, Tomy and Ryan.

Alberta RCMP's FSOC section is asking people to contact them if they have any information by calling 780-412-5530 or emailing [e-mail].