HALL COUNTY, Ga. — Nine people are behind bars after a $1 million car title scheme.
The Hall County Sheriff’s Office said all nine sold cars to unlicensed people, and then pressured those customers to buy insurance.
Channel 2’s Audrey Washington spoke to a victim who says he bought a car from some of the suspects.
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“I bought a car from them,” Arturo Soto said.
“And you recognize her?” Washington asked.
“Yeah,” Soto answered.
“What did she do?” Washington asked.
“That’s the lady who worked the front desk, that I would give my payments to,” Soto said.
Soto said some of the people arrested helped him buy his previous car. He said he is shocked to learn they are all accused of title fraud.
“I would never think that they would try to scam people,” Soto said.
According to investigators, Brandy Marie Pitts, 46, of Lavonia and Susan Faye Palencia, 61, of Homer owned multiple LLCs operating out of office space in Gainesville.
They said multiple auto dealerships in Hall County colluded with Pitts and Palencia to commit the crimes.
“That’s crazy,” Soto said.
The investigation determined local car dealers would sell older-model, high-mileage vehicles at elevated prices to unlicensed residents.
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Investigators told Channel 2 Action News that because an unlicensed person cannot legally register a vehicle, sales personnel at the dealerships would direct the customers to Pitts and Palencia, who would charge the customers hundreds of dollars to register the vehicles under their corporation names.
In addition, investigators said the two would urge the drivers to obtain insurance through America Insurance Agency, a company the women owned.
Soto said he has a legal driver’s license and purchased insurance elsewhere.
Investigators said hundreds of vehicles were registered under various companies, all of which were owned by Pitts and Palencia. The investigation determined the pair had conducted the activities since 2018, illegally obtaining more than one million dollars over the seven-year period.
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, 2025, and all suspects, listed below, have since been formally booked at the Hall County Jail.
- Brandy Marie Pitts, 46, Lavonia
- Susan Faye Palencia, 61, Homer
- Manuel Rene Alvarez, 51, Gainesville
- Curtis Allen Livingston, 51, Suwanee
- Scott Wedford Norris, 36, Marietta
- Maria D. Escamilla, 47, Flowery Branch
- Vianney Garcia Guerrero, 36, Buford
- Lindsey Ngu, 25, Gainesville
- Juan Camilo Sardi, 27, Gainesville
All suspects, with the exception of Ngu, posted bond and have been released from custody. Ngu remains in the Hall County Jail on a drug court hold.
“I think they should get locked up. It’s crazy to steal money from people,” said Soto.
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