Albuquerque auto dealer accused of buying stolen vehicles, swapping VINs

An area auto dealer is accused of buying stolen vehicles from out of state and then swapping the vehicle identification numbers on them.

Keven Jovani Miranda Gutierrez, 20, of Albuquerque is charged with operating a chop shop and receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle.

Miranda Gutierrez is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center. His attorney could not be reached.

Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office deputies were able to identify Miranda Gutierrez through law enforcement databases and social media, according to a criminal complaint filed at Metropolitan Court.

Around 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 20, BCSO’s Auto Theft Unit received a tip about Empire Motor Sports buying stolen vehicles from outside New Mexico and then conducting VIN swaps on them, the complaint states.

Deputies began surveilling a suspected chop shop in the 1200 block of Old Coors SW, near Coors, where they found about 40 vehicles that “appear to be in various stages of dismantlement” and another vehicle on a lift, deputies said.

On Dec. 30, deputies found a man — later identified as Miranda Gutierrez — meeting with the driver of a sedan with no license plates, nor did it have registration that was visible, according to the complaint. Deputies also found signs on the south side fencing that said “Empire Motor Sports” with a phone number belonging to Miranda Gutierrez.

About a week later, on Jan. 6, deputies conducted surveillance at the property, where they found more vehicles, including a truck and trailer with a Hyundai Azera Limited license plate on the trailer. “Chop shops will sometimes utilize trailers to transport other vehicles so they can either be altered or (have the) VIN swapped,” the complaint states.

Shortly thereafter, deputies said they saw Miranda Gutierrez get out of a red Chevrolet Camaro to close the property gate before getting back in and leaving. Detectives later found multiple vehicles — including the Camaro deputies saw earlier — parked in front of Miranda Gutierrez’s house, according to the complaint.

The Camaro had been declared a total loss in California in May 2023 before being sold to a New Mexico buyer less than a month later, deputies said. It is “highly unlikely that the vehicle was rebuilt within the time frame of sale and when it was registered locally,” the complaint states.

Other than citations for speeding and drag racing, both of which were not recent and dismissed, no cases involving Miranda Gutierrez appear in online court records.