Thousand Oaks Corvette Theft Leads to Bust of High End Vehicle Theft Crew
THOUSAND OAKS, CA — July 5, 2026 – In the early morning hours of May 19, thieves stole a 2026 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray valued at about $105,000 from a Thousand Oaks auto dealership, inciting a lengthy and complex investigation into an organized vehicle theft crew suspected of targeting luxury and high-performance vehicles across Southern California.
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Det. Kenneth Ledesma, detectives with the East County Special Enforcement Unit began following the trail from Thousand Oaks into “a broader operation involving stolen vehicles, fraudulent registrations, altered vehicle identification numbers and fictitious license plates.”
Their investigation led them to Los Angeles County, where “a coordinated enforcement operation” was conducted on July 1st involving the East County Special Enforcement Unit, the Ventura County Auto Theft Task Force, the Ventura County Organized Retail Theft Task Force, the East County Investigations Bureau Property Crimes Unit and the Camarillo Special Enforcement Unit.
Relying on their collective expertise in identifying stolen vehicles, fraudulent registrations, and fictious license plates, those law enforcement divisions identified Los Angeles residents Brandon Taylor (29) and John Ivy (39) as the masterminds behind a series of auto thefts of vehicles valued at more than $1.3million, including a Lamborghini, multiple Porsche models, and several high-end SUVs.
Pursuant to search warrants served on Taylor and Ivy and the evidence of an ongoing “criminal enterprise,” both suspects were taken into custody and transported to Ventura County Jail where they were booked on charges of vehicle theft, conspiracy and possession of stolen vehicles.
Taylor and Ivy remain in custody with their bail set at $250,000 each.
– by F. Scott Faulkner
