Investigators searched through the Instagram account of Aric Adams, an alleged stolen muscle car ring leader, and found he had traded a stolen white 2017 Corvette for an AR-10 rifle with someone who went by the profile name “Ybfav6.0,” according to court records.
The day after the trade, Adams sent a message to “Ybfav6.0,” asking why the gun wasn’t functioning.
Soon Clark County investigators identified “Ybfav6.0” as Vancouver resident Christopher Bensch and charged him and four others in connection with a multi-state, alleged stolen muscle car ring.
Detectives have seized 11 stolen cars worth $700,000, nine firearms and $42,000 in cash following a fourth-month investigation, according to the sheriff’s office.
The cars recovered in Vancouver were stolen as far south as San Francisco and as far north as Bellingham, Washington. Detectives believe the alleged theft ring started in July 2023.
Those involved are accused of breaking into car dealerships with a stock of high-end cars like Dodge Hellcats and Chevy Corvettes, and paying people to scout out privately-owned muscle cars. Once the cars were stolen, those involved would sell them or take them apart and sell their engines for profit, according to investigators and court records.
Bensch’s Instagram account revealed photos of the dismantling of the stolen white 2017 Corvette and then Bensch trying to sell off the engine and running gear for $6,000, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The AR-10 rifle he traded to Adams is suspected to have been carried in an earlier, attempted robbery of another car, the affidavit said.
Bensch’s social media account was full of photos of high-end Hellcats, Corvettes and Camaros, and his efforts to sell them for thousands in cash, the affidavit said.
“Who need dulley Duramax,” one post said, with a 2009 Chevrolet heavy-duty truck with a diesel engine and dual rear wheels on each side offered for “1500$.” Such a vehicle is currently selling for $30,000, according to police.
At one point, Adams cautioned Bensch to avoid going to car dealerships because of the presence of police, so Bensch instead told Adams he’s going to go to Hillsboro to steal “(expletive) out of driveways,” the affidavit said.
In another exchange, Bensch messaged Adams that he’s dating a woman who works at the Alan Webb Chevrolet dealership in Vancouver, and she was “telling me to come get cars,” because there’s barely any cameras, the gates are tiny “and can be cut…,” the affidavit said.
“Walk through the gravel and hop the lil fences. … SS and C7 everywhere,” the message continued. SS and C7 refer to Camaros and Corvettes, respectively.
Investigators learned later that a group of people dressed in black had broken into the Vancouver dealership and tried to steal a Camaro but were unsuccessful, the affidavit said.
In one recorded jail call, Bensch boasted to a woman he had over $200,000 worth of cars, though he had no legitimate job, was living out of a vehicle and homeless, according to the affidavit.
Bensch, 25, was arrested July 12, when he was found outside a home in the 2800 block of NE 183rd Court in Vancouver, where a stolen 2019 Corvette was found. The car had been stolen earlier that morning from Bellevue, Washington, according to the probable cause affidavit.
A further search of Bensch’s Instagram revealed conversations with a person who went by the nickname, “Crazyyy T,” later identified as Tyler Lautenschlager, of Gresham. In one back-and-forth, Lautenschlager agreed to buy a “white Silverado Dually” from Bensch, only if Bensch fully disabled its On-star GPS tracking equipment, another probable cause affidavit said.
His Instagram account revealed that Lautenschlager bought a white Camaro from Bensch for $1,500. He later sent Bensch a photo of him sitting in the driver’s seat, revving up the engine, according to the affidavit.
Bensch, 25, is accused of four counts each of possession of a stolen vehicle and trafficking stolen property, two counts of taking a vehicle without permission, and one count each of unlawful possession of a firearm, and second-degree burglary. His lawyer Dan Mellen declined to comment on the allegations.
Lautenschlager, 42, is accused of three counts of trafficking stolen property, and two counts each of taking a vehicle without permission, possession of a stolen vehicle and forgery.
Others charged in Clark County were: Luke Tangocci, 34, of Vancouver, accused of possession of a stolen vehicle, trafficking stolen property, taking a vehicle without permission and providing a gun to an ineligible person; and Miguel E. Gonzalez, 26, of McMinnville, and a 17-year-old, of Sacramento, each accused of possessing a stolen vehicle.
Detectives found several guns in Tangocci’s bedroom in Vancouver. A review of his social media disclosed he had sent Bensch photos of a rifle he offered to trade for a Corvette, according to a probable cause affidavit. His account also held multiple videos of cars, including a white Corvette he described as “purdy,” the affidavit said.
Authorities also served a search warrant at Supreme Tire & Accessories in Vancouver, and located a red Corvette in a trailer parked on the property that had been stolen from Renton, Washington, according to an affidavit.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office partnered with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Auto Theft Task Force and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation.
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