Dead man’s identity was used to buy Lexus, car dealership says

MESA, Ariz. (AZFamily/Gray News) — He had all the right identification and documents to get a loan to buy a car. It was only after the man left in the Lexus that they learned he wasn’t who he said he was.

Surveillance photos from AZ Auto Gallery show the man browsing the dealership in Mesa, Arizona. He seemed serious about buying and checking out several cars before deciding on a 2013 Lexus sedan.

“He provided his social, his ID, his proof of insurance and his pay stub. All of it seemed legitimate,” said Goran Grozic, the owner of AZ Auto Gallery.

Grozic said he was able to scan the driver’s license into this system. He ran Steven Meyer’s credit and the bank approved him for the $19,500 loan.

“Everything seemed to line up with the paperwork. We had already done our due diligence. The bank had done their due diligence in approving him, and so I felt very good about the deal,” Grozic explained.

One problem: Meyer died April 1, more than 1,000 miles away in Iowa.

Grozic said the bank didn’t notice the mistake until a day later, but it was too late by then.

He reported it to Mesa police.

“They were ultimately shocked that someone would go through that level of detail to steal a vehicle,” he said.

Grozic also alerted Meyer’s ex-wife, Amber.

“Why? Why him? From Iowa, you guys are in Arizona. Like, we live literally in the middle of nowhere, Iowa,” Amber Meyer said.

Amber Meyer said the thieves did their homework. The driver’s license had the right address and appeared to be his signature, but the photo was not Steven Meyer. He’s not 5 feet 8 inches tall and had blue, not brown, eyes.

She said it was frustrating because she went through his home with his parents, trying to ensure this didn’t happen.

“His social security card and his birth certificate are still in my possession. His driver’s license was shredded by his parents,” Amber Meyer said.

Grozic said just a few days after this ordeal, another man came in trying to do the same thing.

“This person had also taken someone’s identity and also fraudulently put together some paystubs in order to buy a BMW,” Grozic explained.

But the additional security measures he now has in place paid off. He alerted police in real time, and the suspect was arrested.

“There’s real victims, there’s real people and real lives they’re affecting with this,” he said.

Twenty-four days after that Lexus was stolen, Phoenix police recovered it. Officers said it was found in a restaurant parking lot at the corner of 7th Avenue and Missouri Avenue. Someone had left it there days earlier and it was deemed a total loss.

“Every panel underneath is broken or scraped or damaged, and all of it was just hanging off,” Grozic explained.

It had a steering wheel cover and cellphone holder. The car had been driven 1,400 miles, but it’s still unclear where.

None of it makes sense to Amber Meyer.

“As you’re trying to move on from the death of someone very young, age 37, you never expect someone that young to die. So, it just sucks that you can’t move on and grieve,” she said.

Mesa police confirmed the surveillance photos are of the man they’re looking for and they’re asking anyone with information to call them.

As for the doctored driver’s license, Arizona’s Family Investigates did a reverse image search and found that it’s an old mug shot of a person unconnected to this incident.

Fortunately, Grozic said he was able to get his money back from his insurance company, but he stressed other dealerships might not be as lucky.

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