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WheelsOfGrace.com Volume 9 Issue 4 37 Biker group charged with hacking hundreds of Jeeps and motorcycles in crime spree By Charlie Osborne for Zero Day A motorcycle club caught the a en on of US prosecutors a er allegedly making millions of dollars through hacking and stealing hundreds of Jeep Wranglers and motorbikes. As reported by The Register, in an indictment dated 23, May 2017, the San Diego office of the US Department of Jus ce (DoJ) and FBI say that nine members of the group, based in Tijuana, Mexico, were part of a two and a half year scheme to steal vehicles. Although the exact date of the auto the ring's beginning is unknown, prosecutors say that the club members began stealing vehicles from the US no later than January 2014 un l September 2016. Targe ng mainly Jeep Wranglers and a variety of motorbikes in California, the group used scouts to source their targets before obtaining vehicle iden fica on numbers (VINs), usually found on dashboards. The VINs were then passed to other club members who had access to stolen creden als obtained from a Jeep dealer in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. These members, the so-called "key cu ers," would then access a dealer database using the creden als to covertly pull out the informa on needed to cut and program duplicate keys and the controlling microchips within. In total, two codes per key were required. Separated into small teams, the scouts, leaders, key cu ers, and transporters would then make their way back to the target vehicle. "Thieves and transporters would return to the targeted Jeep Wrangler with the key and the programming code and would disable certain features of the Jeep Wrangler's alarm system, including the horn and emergency flashers," US law enforcement claims. "Thieves would use the duplicate key to access the Jeep Wrangler's passenger compartment and would then use a handheld key programmer and the code received from the key cu ers to program the duplicate key." Wrestling control of the Jeep would take no longer than a few minutes to pull off. The Jeep would then be driven back to Mexico or moved through a transporter for part stripping or sale. When it comes to the motorcycles, the group would "turn on the motorcycles without a key by bypassing the igni on switch," -- although no technical details behind this have been revealed -- before riding them to the same loca on for the same fate. Honda CBRs, Kawasaki Ninjas, and Yamaha YZF-R1 models were among those stolen. In total, at least 28 vehicles were sold, worth approximately $800,000. However, law enforcement has reason to believe that over 150 Jeep Wranglers and motorcycles is closer to the truth, worth a combined $4.5 million. In an online chat held between club members, one member said pertaining to another series of planned the s, "They're going to say, damn (club name) ," to which another responded, "We're a plague. They can't stop us." Three members of the motorcycle club have been tracked down and detained, and the remaining six are believed to be in hiding in Mexico. man with toddler on motorcycle Bonds out of Jail LIBERTY COUNTY, Texas -- A man captured in a viral photo holding a toddler on a motorcycle turned himself into Liberty County officials, charged with endangering a child. Anthony Braddick Welsh, 30, bonded out of jail. Welsh was arrested earlier the same week in Deer Park, TX on a traffic warrant, but he posted bond and was already released by the me the new charge was filed. Inves gators at LCSO say they obtained two eye-witness wri en statements that "confirm Anthony Braddick Welsh was seen with his infant son riding on the gas tank area of Welch's motorcycle while on a public highway in the area of Tarkington Prairie in mid-Liberty County." "Depu es have made numerous... day and night runs on his reported address in an effort to arrest Welsh but no arrest had been made," the sheriff's office stated in an earlier press release. It took a thorough inves ga on and accounts from several witnesses to find Welsh. A phone p eventually helped inves gators iden fy the 31-year-old father. Welsh was arrested at his home on an outstanding traffic warrant. Within days, inves gators were able to gather enough evidence to file child endangerment charges against Welsh. However, this me, he was nowhere to be found. The sheriff's office said numerous calls suggested Welsh had been hiding out at a friend's house. Welsh, accompanied by his a orney, surrendered to sheriff's depu es. He was being held on a $5,000 bond. The Deer Park Police Department is con nuing to search for witnesses who may have been in the area at the me of the incident. The sheriff's office released a statement that read in part: Under Texas law, no child under five (5) years old shall be a passenger on a motorcycle and any passenger that does ride as a second person on the motorcycle must be seated in a secured seat to the back of the motorcycle with secure hand grips and two foot pegs. cops hunt dirt Bikers who Jumped collapsed Bridge in evel knievel-style stunt By David Lohr, Huffpost Police in North Carolina are trying to iden fy a pair of daredevils seen in a viral video jumping over a collapsed sec on of a closed bridge. The video, which was posted to Facebook by Hickory resident Colt Howell, shows two dirt bikers taking turns jumping the gap before a small group of onlookers. It's not clear whether Howell is one of the people featured in the video. Trooper Will Henning with the North Carolina Highway Patrol told HuffPost the bridge featured in the video is located in Granite Falls. It reportedly collapsed earlier this month, promp ng the North Carolina Department of Transporta on to place cement barricades on MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRY NEWS CLICK HERE TO SEE THE vIDEO