Man Uses Fake California Identity To Steal A Porsche From Utah Dealership

In an incredibly brazen crime, a man reportedly using the identity of a California attorney walked into a Porsche dealership in Utah and left driving a $218,000 car. According to KSL in Salt Lake City, the suspect claimed to be an attorney that flew in from California specifically to buy the Porsche. He wrote a check for $100,000, financed the rest, and drove away without issue.

The check bounced, of course, and the Salt Lake City Police went looking for the suspect. But here’s the jaw-dropper: that was two years ago – August 2023 to be exact. The suspect still hasn’t been caught and was only recently charged with the crime. But he’s in big trouble once the authorities catch up.

A Long List Of Felonies

Robert Wesley McCorkley has now been charged with a long list of crimes in 3rd District Court. The charges are theft by deception, communications fraud, identity fraud, forgery, a third-degree felony, and some second-degree felonies. Prosecutors are now seeking an arrest warrant for McCorkle on the alleged crimes.

According to the charges: “McCorkle presented a fraudulent identification with his photo and personal information belonging to (the other man), forged (that man’s) signature on the purchase contract, and presented fraudulent cashier’s check … in the amount of $100,000.00, which later bounced, with the remaining balance to be financed through Porsche, and McCorkle left with the Porsche.” The investigation by Salt Lake Police learned that McCorkle is also a suspect in two similar crimes in nearby Nevada.

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People Still Write Checks, And Fraud Is Up

It looks like fake checks are a common tactic for people wanting a Porsche but don’t have the actual funds to make it happen. Earlier this year, according to News 3 in Columbus, a 19-year-old was arrested while driving a Porsche he had bought in Georgia after depositing half a million dollars in fake checks. He also used some of the funds to retain a criminal attorney for an already existing case of fraud he was involved in. That’s pretty bold to say the least.

Late last year, an ex-Morgan Stanley broker was charged with using a fraudulent $200,000 check to buy a Porsche SUV, presumably a Cayenne GT Turbo or a handsomely optioned Cayenne GTS or Turbo E-Hybrid. But wait, there’s more.

Separately, our favorite comes from KKTV 11 in Louisville, Kentucky, where a 21-year-old man tried to buy a Porsche at a dealership with a fake $78 million check. Yes, $78 million. The day before, he had attempted to buy a Land Rover with a fake $12 million check. Suffice it to say, nobody fell for that ruse and the suspect was arrested.

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These are just the easily found cases involving Porsche dealerships. And Porsche certainly isn’t the only brand desired by criminals. According to multiple sources, fraud has seen a dramatic increase over the past couple of years, despite the use of checks declining. The most common approach is for criminals to use fake personas (known as synthetic fraud) or stolen identities to create bank accounts and go from there.

As for this Utah caper, the suspect is still at large and it’s unclear why it took two years before charges were filed. As for what was stolen, a $218,000 Porsche could be any number of flagship trims. A hot 911 Turbo or a Cayenne Turbo GT immediately come to mind, but a well-optioned Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid could easily hit that figure as well. In any case, the whereabouts of the nicked Porsche are unknown.

Source: KSL