6 people are charged in a plot to steal and resell dozens of cars from the DC area

WASHINGTON — Six people have been charged with plotting to steal at least 20 cars from the Washington, D.C., area and sell them to buyers in the United States and Ghana in West Africa, according to a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday.

Investigators suspect members of the car theft ring have stolen more than 100 cars in the District of Columbia and more than 30 others in Maryland's Prince George's County, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's office said in a news release.

Authorities on Tuesday searched an automobile storage facility in Decatur, Georgia, that they believe to be linked to the ring, according to the statement.

A yearlong investigation found that ring members used devices allowing them to reprogram cars to accept blank key fobs. Stolen vehicles were taken to a Washington parking garage where suspects swapped their license plates and obscured vehicle identification numbers and disabled security features, Pirro's office said.

The defendants include Jacob Hernandez, 29, of Los Angeles; Dustin Wetzel, 23, of Woodbridge, Virginia; James Young, 23, of Hyattsville, Maryland; Khobe David, 24, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland; and Chance Clark, 25, of Waldorf, Maryland.

Pirro's office didn't immediately release the name of a sixth defendant, who remained at large. All six are charged with conspiracy to possess, sell and transport stolen motor vehicles.