Area Men Sentenced to More Than Three Years in Prison for Stealing Dozens of Vehicles From Rental Companies, Dealerships, Other Businesses

PHILADELPHIA - United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that two area men have been sentenced to prison by United States District Judge Karen S. Marston for conspiring to steal dozens of vehicles, including cars, tractors, and backhoes, from rental companies, dealerships, and home improvement stores.

Tariq Bennett, 31, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 39 months' incarceration, three years' supervised release, $502,070.13 in restitution, and a special assessment of $2,600.

Syheed Goodman, 37, of Upper Darby, Pa., was sentenced to 39 months' incarceration and three years' supervised release, $939,295.48 in restitution, and a special assessment of $2,700.

The defendants were charged by superseding indictment in June 2024 and pleaded guilty last year to more than two dozen counts apiece, including conspiracy, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and transportation of a stolen vehicle.

As detailed in court filings and statements, from at least October 2021 through October 2023, Bennett, Goodman, and third co-conspirator engaged in a conspiracy to steal dozens of vehicles. To effectuate the scheme, the defendants test-drove, rented, and/or fraudulently purchased the vehicles. They then failed to return the vehicles they had rented or taken for test drives, or failed to make any payments for the vehicles they had fraudulently purchased.

As part of the conspiracy to obtain the vehicles, the defendants presented fabricated driver's licenses bearing either the personal identifying information of third-party victims, which they had purchased online, or the personal identifying information of fictitious individuals. The defendants then sold the vehicles and equipment to other individuals. In some instances, the defendants transported the stolen vehicles across state lines to facilitate the sales to third parties.

In all, the defendants stole at least 46 vehicles from businesses in and around Pennsylvania.

This case was investigated by the FBI Philadelphia Organized Crime Task Force, Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, Abington Police Department, Bensalem Township Police Department, Plymouth Township Police Department, and Springfield Township Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meghan Claiborne Bisio.