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Central Texas task force dismantles trailer-theft ring built on fake IDs and counterfeit checks

Craig Massey Thu, Jan 22, 2026 • 08:05 AM

BURNET, Texas — A multi-month investigation by a regional auto-theft task force has led to the takedown of an alleged theft ring accused of using stolen and fabricated identities to buy trailers across Central Texas, authorities said. Investigators estimate the group stole more than $150,000 in equipment before the operation was disrupted, according to Fox7Austin.

How investigators broke the case

The Heart of Texas Auto Theft Task Force — which includes the Burnet County Sheriff’s Office — tracked a suspect vehicle across multiple counties using license plate reader technology and a distinctive pattern of body damage, investigators told Fox7Austin. Without an initial plate number, the team leveraged the Flock license plate reader system to match the vehicle’s unique characteristics and retrace its movements tied to thefts and attempted purchases.

Detectives say the case stretched from Burnet and Marble Falls to Kingsland, Georgetown, Buda, Mexia and Blanco, with ties beyond Texas to Washington and Idaho, according to Fox7Austin. The main suspect, Jimmie Goodson, was arrested in Kyle while allegedly trying to complete another fraudulent transaction and is being held at the Hays County Jail, the station reported.

Task force leaders said businesses were targeted with counterfeit cashier’s checks and fraudulent identification. They urged merchants to verify cashier’s checks with issuing banks before releasing high-value equipment, a practice they said can stop similar thefts before they happen, as reported by Fox7Austin.

The charges and the alleged scheme

Authorities say Goodson used fake IDs, stolen identities and counterfeit instruments to acquire trailers and move them quickly, often across county lines. He faces multiple counts and allegations across jurisdictions, according to Fox7Austin:

Theft (multiple counts, multiple jurisdictions)
Forgery
Fraudulent Use/Possession of Identifying Information
Possession of Counterfeit Instruments
Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity
Identity Theft

An alleged accomplice, Jorge Ramirez, is accused of helping transport and store stolen trailers. He is charged with:

Theft
Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity
Providing False Statements During a Criminal Investigation

Investigators told Fox7Austin that additional charges are possible and that some equipment has not yet been recovered. They urged anyone who suspects they were victimized by similar tactics to contact local law enforcement, which can coordinate with the task force.

Identity fraud is surging — and it’s changing

The case reflects broader fraud trends in Texas. Statewide identity-theft reports rose sharply in 2025, with 128,758 reports logged in the first three quarters alone — more than the total for all of 2024, according to OmniWatch. The methods behind those crimes are shifting, too: impersonation scams surged by 148% year-over-year and became the most reported scam type in 2025, the Identity Theft Resource Center reports. The group also documented growth in document-based misuse — including account takeovers and new accounts opened with stolen credentials — and rising reports of stolen driver’s licenses and other IDs.

Consumer advocates say the scale of identity theft is widening. “We saw close to a million instances of identity theft reported just in a year from 2023-2024,” said Jason Meza, senior director for the Better Business Bureau, as quoted by KSAT.

Economic uncertainty has also created new openings for scammers. Work-related fraud losses in Texas exceeded $57 million between January and September 2025 — already more than the full-year total in 2024 — amid a spike in fake job offers and advance-fee schemes, according to Dallas News. Older Texans, meanwhile, often bear disproportionate financial harm; residents ages 60–69 lost nearly $86 million to fraud in 2024, reported Axios San Antonio.

Technology, privacy and the broader crime picture

License plate readers have become a routine tool for cross-jurisdiction investigations like the trailer theft case. Task force officials told Fox7Austin the systems help match vehicles to incidents quickly and assist victims by accelerating recoveries and arrests. At the same time, data security and public-trust challenges continue to shadow the wider fight against fraud and identity theft. Public awareness and formal reporting often lag the true scope of these crimes, and laws and institutions can struggle to keep pace with evolving tactics and technologies, according to the Houston Chronicle.

The theft ring allegations also sit within a broader property-crime environment that remains elevated in Texas. In 2024, the state logged about 2,041 property crimes per 100,000 residents, with motor-vehicle thefts accounting for roughly 16% of those offenses, according to USAFacts. While most of the stolen equipment in this case involves trailers, investigators said the alleged methods — forged documents, counterfeit checks and rapid cross-county movement — mirror patterns seen in other property and identity crimes.

What comes next

The Heart of Texas Auto Theft Task Force continues to work with local departments and out-of-state partners to recover stolen property and identify any additional victims, according to Fox7Austin. Authorities said the use of license plate reader data and distinctive vehicle markers will remain central to their efforts to tie recovered equipment back to specific thefts. They also encouraged businesses to step up front-end verification — especially for cashier’s checks and identity documents — to blunt similar fraud attempts.

For now, Goodson remains in custody as the investigation continues, and Ramirez faces his own slate of charges connected to the alleged scheme. With losses spread across multiple communities — from Burnet and Marble Falls to Georgetown, Buda, Mexia and Blanco — the case has become a reminder of how quickly identity fraud fuels property theft, and how collaboration and technology can tip cases back toward victims.

Read the full story on Fox7Austin.com.

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