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Woman buys Jaguar, faces fraud charges

Investigators suspect identity theft after another woman finds her credit history changed.

TARPON SPRINGS - Police charged a Tampa woman with multiple counts of fraud and forgery Wednesday after she used a false name to purchase a luxury car at a Tarpon Springs car dealership.

Police say Tamika T. Varela of 6924 Lois Ave. N, Tampa, used another woman's name and driver's license to buy a silver 2000 Jaguar four-door sedan from Exotic Motor Cars at 39660 U.S. 19 N in Tarpon Springs.

Varela, 20, presented the car dealership with a driver's license in the name of Yara Castro-Pantoja and placed a $3,000 down payment on the $28,824 vehicle, police said. Varela also used Castro-Pantoja's driver's license to obtain a $25,824 loan from a credit union to pay for the Jaguar after she signed a contract for the car on March 18, police said.

The car was in Varela's possession for about three weeks until Castro-Pantoja, a resident of Lutz, alerted police to a discrepancy in her credit history that led investigators to suspect identity theft.

"She (Varela) set up a bank account in the name of the victim and was running around writing checks," said Tarpon Springs police Detective Sgt. Allen MacKenzie.

Police arrested Varela around 10:15 a.m. Wednesday when she showed up at Exotic Motor Cars to pick up license plates for the Jaguar, MacKenzie said.

Exotic Motor Cars staff declined to comment Thursday.

Police charged Varela with forgery, vehicle title fraud, two counts of scheme to defraud, grand theft auto, false motor vehicle insurance application, three counts of criminal use of personal identification, forging a credit card and unauthorized possession of a driver's license. Varela was also charged with driving with a suspended license, a misdemeanor.

A search of Varela on Wednesday revealed that she was carrying several state identity cards belonging to different people, MacKenzie said.

Varela was being held Thursday at the Pinellas County Jail in lieu of $135,500 bail.