LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — The Nevada DMV Compliance Enforcement Division is cracking down on stolen luxury cars being openly sold on social media, with criminals listing them using code words and asking as little as a tenth of the normal price.

In one case, a 2021 Hellcat TRX was advertised for $12,000. The vehicle normally sells for at least $100,000.

In an ad for the high-end truck on Facebook, the first word of the description said “lien.”

“It’s pretty blatant. I mean, it’s like advertising drugs for sale online on a public website,” said JD Decker, chief of Nevada DMV’s Compliance Enforcement Division.

Decker said the word is code for stolen.

“You won’t be able to register it or title it in your name… therefore the discounted price,” Decker said.

Investigation leads to recovery

Decker’s team tracked down the truck in the city of Las Vegas.

“We found the vehicle had been stolen locally and then wrapped to hide the color and mask the vehicle,” Decker said.

There were other signs the vehicle was stolen. The person pulled out the module from under the dash and started it by hot wire, touching the wires together. The VIN was not centered and was not a stamped manufactured VIN. The VIN also had 16 digits instead of the standard 17. A fake temporary tag was also used.

The team got a warrant to arrest the seller, though they say he fled the state.

“That subject had his first court appearance and had an attorney appear on his behalf. We know he operated between a couple different states. He had previous charges in a couple different states,” Decker said.

Decker said these openly stolen cars advertised for sale are known as striker vehicles.

“When you’re selling a striker vehicle to someone who knows it’s stolen, you really don’t have to make much effort to hide the fact that it’s stolen because that’s kind of assumed in the transaction,” Decker said.

There are also websites that will advertise and sell striker vehicles. According to Decker, the negotiation takes place on offshore encrypted websites that aren’t subject to U.S. jurisdiction.

If you ever have doubts about a vehicle you want to buy, have the seller meet you at the DMV’s VIN inspection station.

“We’d be happy to do that. It’s free. There’s generally no waiting. And if the vehicle comes from out of state, it’s going to require a VIN inspection at DMV anyway,” Decker said.

Decker said his team is constantly on social media looking for stolen vehicles for sale, especially high-end vehicles. He said the ongoing problem with fake tags contributes to this problem. FOX5 has previously reported on that problem

HENDERSON, Nev. — Nevada Army National Guard Pfc. Mace Veit completed Ranger School, Airborne School, Air Assault School and Pathfinder School before his 20th birthday, accomplishing in less than six months what can take many Soldiers years to achieve.

The 19-year-old Foothill High School graduate passed every phase of the Army’s 62-day Ranger School on his first attempt, then earned three coveted skill badges and a Ranger Tab. Fewer than 20% of Soldiers who attend Ranger School complete every phase without recycling.

For Veit, it started with a decision made just days before graduating from cavalry scout training at Fort Benning, Georgia, when a National Guard liaison informed him he had been identified for the Ranger Team Leader Initiative, a program that selects high-performing Soldiers and prepares them for Ranger School.

The opportunity meant staying at Fort Benning after cavalry scout training instead of returning home, with no guarantee he would ultimately earn a Ranger School slot.

“I was really scared,” Veit said. “I didn’t know if I was ready for it.”

Still, he chose to stay.

“I had to take the opportunity when it was there because you never know if you’ll ever get it again.”

Before joining the military, Veit envisioned a future as a firefighter. While attending Foothill High School in Henderson, he searched for a path that would allow him to serve while still pursuing civilian career opportunities.

“I was trying to think, would I have to sacrifice being a firefighter or another future career to join the military?” Veit said. “Then I thought, well, the National Guard, I could do both.”

Veit’s mother, Jessica Veit, a Henderson Police Department sergeant with 11 years of service, said her son’s decision to join the Nevada Army National Guard surprised her, but his ability to thrive in a disciplined environment did not.

“I never expected any of this, but I did expect something great from my son,” Jessica said. “He’s been very disciplined his whole life. He’s very regimented. When he says he’s going to do something or puts his heart into it, he always does it.”

Veit enlisted in the Nevada Army National Guard at 17 during his junior year of high school and spent nearly a year attending Recruit Sustainment Program drills before shipping to training. The additional preparation helped him build a foundation in military skills and eased his transition into Army life.

During his time in the Recruit Sustainment Program, Veit trained alongside his recruiter, Sgt. 1st Class Paul Duncan, an accomplished endurance athlete who recognized his potential early.

The two spent time outside of drills logging miles together, building the endurance and mental toughness that would later help Veit through the Army’s toughest schools.

After graduating from cavalry scout training with a leadership award, Veit entered RTLI and later the National Guard’s pre-Ranger course. As Ranger School approached, doubt started to weigh on him.

“I remember before I went to Ranger School, I kept thinking, ‘Imagine if I fail,’” Veit said. “I would call my parents and tell them it’s a really hard course and not a lot of people pass.”

Once training began, he learned to focus on the task immediately in front of him.

“Maybe, beforehand, you’re a little nervous and a little scared,” Veit said. “But once I got there, I had to shut it off and just go: ‘I’m here to do this.’”

That mindset carried him through a year of continuous training and four elite Army schools.

Jessica said watching her son move through the pipeline gave her a deeper appreciation for the leaders who recognized his potential and helped guide him through the process.

“It makes me very thankful to the folks at RTLI and the instructors and the mentors that he had to be able to find that potential because I feel like that potential in him was always there,” Jessica said.

Despite his accomplishments, Veit said confidence was never what drove him forward.

Instead, he learned he was often more capable than he believed.

“I always underestimate myself,” Veit said. “Everything seems like a huge, impossible mountain to scale. But then I get there and start doing it and realize, ‘Okay, I can do that.’”

The lesson became especially important during Pathfinder School, where students are required to master detailed planning procedures, calculations and technical information.

“There were a lot of little intricate details you had to remember,” Veit said. “You focus your energy on memorizing one thing and then you end up forgetting something else.”

At times, the course’s complexity became frustrating. He said he often made the same mistakes repeatedly and worried about failing near the end after coming so far.

What helped him push through was the support of the Soldiers around him.

Throughout his training, Veit credits drill sergeants, instructors and fellow students for helping him succeed. Those friendships became one of the most valuable parts of the experience.

“There’s a saying that says, ‘You don’t earn your Ranger Tab, your buddy does,’” Veit said. “It’s true. I would not have been able to do it without my friends from Ranger School.”

Those friendships expanded his view of what was possible after the military. During nearly a year at Fort Benning, Veit trained alongside Soldiers, noncommissioned officers and officers from across the Army; many shared lessons from their own careers.

One piece of advice stood out.

“A lot of people would tell me, ‘You have so many options, you don’t even know,’” Veit said. “That really stuck with me because it made me realize I need to capitalize on that.”

No support system, however, was more important than his family. Veit said his parents supported his decision to enlist from the beginning, even though they had never discussed his future in military service before.

As he progressed through training, they traveled repeatedly to Georgia to attend graduations and celebrate milestones.

“My mom literally showed up to every single graduation she could,” Veit said. “Knowing I had people rooting for me back home was a huge morale boost.”

Jessica said she flew to Columbus, Georgia, 10 times during her son’s training to attend the graduations and milestones she could. Her favorite moment came during Darby Pass, when Ranger School students who complete the first phase of training pass through a gate before continuing to the next phase.

“He didn’t know I was going to be there,” Jessica Veit said. “Seeing him come through that gate was the most prideful, amazing moment that I will never forget with my son.”

Now back in Nevada after nearly a year away from home, Veit is spending time with family before reporting to the Nevada Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 221st Cavalry Regiment, which transitioned into a mobile infantry battalion as part of the Army’s Transformation Initiative.

As he looks toward the future, firefighting is still a possibility. But after spending months surrounded by experienced military leaders and high-performing Soldiers, he is also exploring college, government service, and other opportunities he had not previously considered.

Jessica said she hopes her son uses the lessons and experiences from the last year to help others.

“I would love to see him translate all that he’s learned and experienced to inspire others and be a leader for others,” she said.

For now, Veit is focused on the mindset that carried him through all challenges placed in front of him: take the opportunity, put in the work and care enough to give it everything you have.

“If you want to excel in something,” Veit said, “You have to care about it.”

Reno, Nev. (KOLO) -Two fairs in two locations with both aiming to honor the Silver State’s history.

Starting June 11, Mills Park in Carson City hosts its tenth annual fair. At the same time, the Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center and the Nevada State Fairgrounds will launch its first fair in more than 15 years. The event is reviving a tradition tied to what organizers call the longest-running annual event in Nevada history, dating back to 1874.

Both event organizers say they’re paying tribute to the state’s legacy, but in Reno, the Nevada Department of Agriculture says theirs is a more traditional fair experience. However, there is a price to get in and parking fees later in the day.

Ciara Ressel with the official Nevada State Fair say that, under NRS 551, the Nevada Department of Agriculture is the only entity that can host the “State Fair of Nevada.” They say their programming is built around nostalgia from past fairs, including youth agriculture programs like the Nevada Junior Livestock Show and 4-H.

Meanwhile, the fair in Carson City is free to attend and will feature carnival rides along with deep-fried favorites among other vendors. On June 13, there will be an area of businesses run by children.

There won’t be concerts or livestock in Carson City, but organizers say the four-day event will continue its mission: honoring Nevada’s history.