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Hall County RICO Indictment: 9 charged in $1M car title fraud scheme

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Published  January 13, 2026 2:47pm EST
Hall County
FOX 5 Atlanta
article

9 people arrested under RICO statue in Hall County

The Brief

    • A seven-year RICO scheme involving car dealerships and shell companies was uncovered in Hall County, authorities say.
    • The suspects allegedly exploited unlicensed drivers to register vehicles illegally, generating over $1 million in illicit funds.
    • Nine people face racketeering charges following a grand jury indictment and subsequent arrests in December.

HALL COUNTY, Ga. - Nine people were charged in Hall County following a months-long investigation into a title fraud scheme.

The backstory:

According to the sheriff's office, investigators with the Special Investigations Unit learned of an ongoing title fraud being committed by Brandy Marie Pitts, 46, of Lavonia, and Susan Faye Palencia, 61, of Homer, in June 2025. Investigators began looking into the fraud and said the two women owned multiple companies operating in Gainesville and were working with car dealerships in Hall County to commit the crimes.

The investigation determined local car dealers would sell older-model, high-mileage vehicles at higher prices to unlicensed drivers, according to officials. Because an unlicensed person cannot legally register a vehicle in Georgia, salespeople would send the customers to Pitts and Palencia, who would charge the customers hundreds of dollars to register the vehicles under their corporation names.

Officials also said they would urge the drivers to obtain insurance through America Insurance Agency, a company the women owned.

Hundreds of vehicles were registered under various companies, all of which were owned by Pitts and Palencia, sheriff's officials said. The office said the pair had been performing the scheme since 2018, illegally obtaining more than one million dollars over the seven-year period.

What we know:

In December 2025, the Hall County District Attorney’s Office indicted nine suspects, including Pitts and Palencia, for violation of Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Arrest orders were issued on Dec. 19.

The following people were arrested and booked into the Hall County Jail:

  • Brandy Marie Pitts, 46, of Lavonia
  • Susan Faye Palencia, 61, of Homer
  • Manuel Rene Alvarez, 51, of Gainesville
  • Curtis Allen Livingston, 51, of Suwanee
  • Scott Wedford Norris, 36, of Marietta
  • Maria D. Escamilla, 47, of Flowery Branch
  • Vianney Garcia Guerrero, 36, of Buford
  • Lindsey Ngu, 25, of Gainesville
  • Juan Camilo Sardi, 27, of Gainesville

All but one of the suspects posted bond and have been released from custody. Ngu remains in the Hall County Jail on a drug court hold.

The sheriff's office said multiple agencies assisted in the investigation, including local and state agencies.

What we don't know:

The exact role each person charged allegedly played in the scheme has not been released. 

The Source: Information in this article came from the Hall County Sheriff's Office via a release on their Facebook page. 

Hall CountyNewsCrime and Public Safety