BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. — A Berkeley County man has been charged in connection with a vehicle fraud investigation involving stolen vehicles and altered identification numbers, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
Agents with SLED charged Julius Anthony Middleton, 52, of Bonneau, on Wednesday, March 4, with two counts of possession of a vehicle with an altered vehicle identification number (VIN) and possession of a stolen vehicle valued at $10,000 or more, authorities said.
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Middleton was booked into the Hill-Finklea Detention Center in Berkeley County. The case will be prosecuted by the 9th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, according to SLED.
According to arrest warrants and affidavits filed in the case, investigators say Middleton was found in possession of stolen vehicles whose identification numbers had been altered in an apparent attempt to disguise their true identity.
In one instance, investigators allege Middleton knowingly possessed a 2015 Chevrolet Camaro that had previously been reported stolen through the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office on Dec. 19, 2018. Authorities say the vehicle’s publicly displayed VIN had been replaced with a fraudulent VIN associated with a 2014 Chevrolet Camaro, masking the vehicle’s true identity.
The Camaro was valued at approximately $18,000, according to the warrant affidavit.
Investigators also say Middleton was in possession of a 2015 Ram 1500 pickup truck that had its publicly displayed VIN removed. Authorities say that VIN was later discovered attached to a 2016 Ram 1500 that had been reported stolen through the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office.
The alleged offenses occurred on or about July 6, 2023, according to the affidavits.
