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Waukegan police issue arrest warrant in vehicle title and registration fraud case
The Waukegan Police Department has issued an arrest warrant for Reuben Collier, the operator of a licensing business, following an investigation into widespread fraud related to vehicle titles and registrations.
WAUKEGAN, Ill. - Following a year-long investigation, an arrest warrant has been issued for a Waukegan man accused of running a vehicle licensing and registration scheme.
Reuben Collier, 61, is accused of scamming customers by issuing fraudulent temporary license plates.
For the past year, the Waukegan Police Department’s Traffic and Criminal Investigations Division has been tracking the phony plates popping up in the area.
Police said they became suspicious when they noticed an unusual number of cars registered to Montana during routine traffic stops.
"When they started running the temporaries and contacting these out-of-state areas, they found out they were fictitious. Then they started tracking them and it wasn't just Waukegan, it was a lot of neighboring towns with us as well," said Deputy Chief Scott Chastain, Waukegan Police Department.
Investigators tied the fraudulent temporary license plates to Collier, a local businessman who runs a licensing service.
"If I wanted to get a license and registration for my vehicle, instead of going to Secretary of State, which sometimes has really long lines and is crowded, I can go to a licensing service, get in and out a lot faster. I'll pay a little bit more. But it's more convenient," said Chastain.
Chastain says Collier would charge between $600 and $1,000 for the service.
"They do all the paperwork. They give me a temporary tag to put on my car. Then they're supposed to submit all that paperwork to the Secretary of State," said Chastain.
Chastain, however, says the temporary plates Collier issued were fraudulent and, in most cases, the paperwork was never submitted.
On Oct. 3, police executed a search warrant at Collier’s business located in the 3000 block of Sunset Avenue. No one was there at the time, but police contacted Collier by phone.
"He reached out through an attorney and said that he was going to turn himself in that following Monday," said Chastain.
That never happened, according to police. Now, a warrant has been issued for Collier’s arrest. He faces two counts of Forgery and two counts of Possession of Counterfeit Temporary Registration Permit.
On Monday, Oct. 14, the business remained boarded up.
According to the State of Illinois, Collier does not have a valid business license and is not an authorized licensing agent of the Secretary of State. Investigators discovered a fake business license on the wall while searching his workplace, police said.
Police also say they believe there are more victims who haven't yet come forward.
"You’re truly a victim of a crime. You didn't do anything wrong by going to this business," said Chastain. "We actually set up a hotline number specifically for this case."
The Waukegan Police Department is urging anyone who fell victim to this scheme to contact the Waukegan Police Department’s Traffic Division hotline at (847) 599-2567 and file a report.
Collier, who has also worked as an insurance agent, has been in trouble with the law in the past. In 2009, he pleaded guilty and was convicted of issuing fraudulent insurance certificates and keeping payments from clients intended for workers' compensation insurance.
In that case, he was sentenced to 30 months of probation and 10 months of electronic home monitoring, along with other fines.