Woonsocket Man Charged with Running Cranston Chop Shop

CRANSTON, RI—In a small garage on Field Street in an industrial area of Cranston, police said Elie Antoun, 39, of Woonsocket, was running a chop shop and illegal car dealership operation.

Today, Antoun is facing at a slew of charges after an extensive investigation into his business that reportedly involved facilitating the sale of stolen cars in the Providence and Cranston area. He also swapped high-mileage odometers for low-mileage odometers to boost resale values and provided counterfeit temporary registrations, among other shady practices, police said.

Cranston Police Chief Col. Michael J. Winquist Jr. said that the investigation began after a car stop. That car turned out to be stolen.

The driver said the car was bought from Antoun. And with the victim's cooperation, police started to keep an eye on Antoun's garage at 26 Field St.

Over a two week period, police developed information that led to the filing of four felonies and three misdemeanors against Antoun, Winquist said.

And police believe there may be other victims. If you think you might have bought a vehicle from Antoun, call Cranston Police Officer Michael Long at 401-942-2211.

All told, Antoun is facing charges of obtaining money under false pretenses (two counts), forgery and counterfeiting of registration plates, tampering with odometers, operation of a chop shop, possession of stolen motor vehicle parts and not having a proper license.

He was arraigned on June 17 in Third Division District Court and will return to court on Aug. 12. He is currently free on recognizance.