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WARMINGTON: Accused auto theft crew allegedly tied to 'Porsche Girl' busted

Two adults and two youths now face charges as well

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Just call them the alleged Honey Pot Five.

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Investigators claim the infamous Porsche girl – accused of being involved in a sneaky auto theft ring – wasn’t working alone.

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And 18-year-old Sarah Badshaw is now no longer alone before the courts, either.

She has some company — the whole company.

Their alleged MO to surprise unsuspecting car sellers and then dash off with their for-sale car during a test drive or inspection may have worked for a while, but cops have now shut it down.

The Toronto Sun learned Thursday that Peel Regional Police have arrested four alleged accomplices and charged them with numerous criminal counts.

Joining Badshaw before the court system are two adults and two youths who can’t be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Rainer Herschel Fernando, 36, of Toronto
Rainer Herschel Fernando, 36, of Toronto Photo by Peel Regional Police

The first of the two accused adults is Rainer Herschel Fernando, 36, of Toronto. He’s charged with two counts of possession of property obtained by crime, possession of an automobile master key and obstructing a police officer. He has been held in custody pending a bail hearing.

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The second accused adult, Steven Giselle Lopez, 21, of Toronto, is charged with possession of property obtained by crime and possession of an automobile master key. He was released with conditions and will be asked to appear in court at a later time.

“Investigators believe these individuals to be part of an organized group responsible for various serious offences and anticipate laying further charges and identifying additional suspects,” Peel police said in a news release Friday.

Anyone with information is asked to call the 11 Division Auto Theft Unit at 905-453-2121, ext. 1152 or the Commercial Auto Unit at 905-453-2121, ext. 3313. Or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Read More
  1. Accused of a Porsche theft, Sarah Badshaw was granted bail on charges by Peel police in Brampton Monday but taken into custody by Toronto Police Monday and will appear in court Tuesday.
    WARMINGTON: Alleged teen Porsche thief gets bail in Peel, then detained by Toronto cops
  2. Peel police are looking for this woman in a disturbing alleged car theft where the vehicle owner was also run over.
    WARMINGTON: Woman accused of stealing Porsche, running over owner in Mississauga
  3. Sarah Badshaw, 18, faces charges for a carjacking that saw the owner of a Porsche Cayenne run down in Mississauga on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024.
    WARMINGTON: Peel Region's 'Porsche Girl' gets bail twice in two days
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Meanwhile, as the Sun previously reported, Badshaw was granted bail in both Peel Region and Toronto. The Brampton woman will have to be back in court for two dates in the different jurisdictions in October.

None of the charges against any of the five have been tested in court and all are considered innocent until proven guilty. But they are all now going to court.

This was some serious sleuthing by 11 and 22 Division auto theft detectives, who also recovered two high-end SUVs

Sarah Badshaw, 18, of Brampton, charged in with car theft and operating a vehicle causing bodily harm, now faces car theft charges in Toronto -- Peel Police photo
Sarah Badshaw, 18, of Brampton, is seen on dashcam footage released by Peel Regional Police. She is charged in with car theft and operating a vehicle causing bodily harm, and also faces car theft charges in Toronto. Photo by Supplied /Peel Regional Police

It’s not lost on Peel cops or the city of Mississauga how an innocent man was allegedly tricked into handing over the keys to his Porsche Cayenne to a young woman who said she was there to potentially purchase the SUV and asked to check it out while she waited for her father to arrive.

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Doorbell video from the home shows the man was subsequently run over by his own car – before the Porsche and another stolen car fled the area.

He survived but received many injuries that he still suffers from — and he understands that he is lucky to be alive.

Toronto Police, who are also all over this case, allege Badshaw was also involved in two more car theft incidents in Toronto. She was charged and appeared in court before being released from custody on a paltry $3,000 bail.

Toronto cops are still investigating and further charges against alleged accomplices could result.

Car thieves may be good with their unique methods to steal cars, but police are getting pretty good at catching suspects, too.

jwarmington@postmedia.com

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