Half‑Brothers Sentenced for Massive Car‑Theft and Title‑Washing Scheme in Suffolk County

Two half‑brothers from Long Island have officially entered guilty pleas in what prosecutors call one of the largest vehicle‑theft operations ever uncovered on Long Island. Mark McCall, 34, of Centereach, and Keith Agard, 32, of Port Jefferson Station, were members of a 34‑person network that was busted last year under the umbrella of “Operation Gingerman.”

The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, led by Ray Tierney, says the duo helped orchestrate a scheme that snatched more than 120 cars from dealers across Suffolk, Nassau, Kings, Westchester and Orange counties. By using forged pay‑stubs, fake utility bills and other bogus paperwork, the group financed the vehicles with little to no down‑payment, then slipped the titles through a “clean‑title” process that erased any liens.

Once the fraudulent titles were in hand, McCall and Agard passed the cars on to friends, family members and even internet‑based resellers like CarMax. Some were sold on Facebook Marketplace, others to unsuspecting private buyers. In most cases, the purchasers never learned that the cars were still technically owed to the original finance companies.

Prosecutors estimate the operation generated roughly $5.5 million in profit. “These defendants went to great lengths to fleece buyers, giving them vehicles with hidden liens and pocketing their hard‑earned money,” Tierney said in a press release.

McCall’s plea includes two counts of second‑degree attempted criminal possession of a weapon and an enterprise‑corruption charge. He is slated to return to court on Oct. 29, where he faces a possible five‑year prison term for the weapons charges and three‑and‑a‑half to seven years for the enterprise‑corruption count, to run concurrently.

Agard previously pleaded guilty to two counts of third‑degree criminal possession of a weapon and enterprise corruption. He was sentenced on June 3 to a term of one to three years. His attorney, Tara Laterza, emphasized that despite the legal language, the core conduct was essentially grand larceny.

Altogether, 35 defendants – 33 individuals and two corporations – were indicted in June 2025 after a two‑and‑a‑half‑year investigation. Thirty‑two of them have already entered guilty pleas, with most receiving sentences ranging from six months to three years. One defendant’s case remains pending.

Search warrants executed at the brothers’ homes turned up several firearms, including a .45‑caliber derringer, a .40 Smith & Wesson semi‑automatic, and an IWI 9‑mm pistol. The presence of these weapons added the firearm charges to their already hefty fraud penalties.

“Enterprise corruption is a systematic exploitation of the rules that safeguard our communities,” Tierney warned. “We take consumer scams seriously, and it is fitting that the ringleaders will spend the next several years in prison.”