– By F. Scott Faulkner
SANTA BARBARA, CA — August 2, 2025 – A man claiming to be a top BMW executive is now behind bars.
Jonathan Tudor, 64, of West Hollywood. allegedly duped victims into wiring him thousands of dollars for luxury cars that never existed.
According to Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Raquel
Tudor faces 61 felony charges in “an elaborate fraud scheme targeting buyers of high-end vehicles.”
The investigation kicked off in late March, 2025, after a victim came forward to report paying for a car that never arrived.
The ensuing investigation led to evidence indicating that the scam stretched back to
at least November 2024, when Tudor hosted an exclusive event at a Santa Barbara hotel.
There, he allegedly pitched himself as a BMW executive “with insider access to steeply discounted
luxury vehicles.”
The pitch worked—several attendees reportedly signed contracts and wired
payments averaging $16,000, only to receive empty promises and excuses in return.
On July 29, VCSD detectives served a search and arrest warrant at Tudor’s West Hollywood
residence, where they recovered “more than $250,000 in luxury goods”—from Hermès to Louis
Vuitton—that investigators believe were purchased with victims’ money.
So far, four victims have been identified in Santa Barbara County.
Additional reports from the Santa Barbara Police Department and possible connections in the Los Angeles area suggest the
scope of the scheme could be broader.
Tudor was booked at the Santa Barbara County Main Jail on multiple charges including theft by
false pretenses, grand theft, money laundering, and financial elder abuse. He remains in custody
with his bail set at $350,000.
