The luxury car scam exposed in New Jersey lured everyday investors with promises of high rental income from Mercedes, BMWs, Cadillacs and even a Maybach, only to leave many of them drowning in debt. Prosecutors say the alleged scheme, tied to Plush Luxury Collection and Imperial Exotic Cars, turned dream cars into financial nightmares as payments stopped, vehicles vanished, and lenders closed in. As victims now ask whether new criminal charges will be filed, the unfolding case shows how a seemingly glamorous side-hustle shattered lives far beyond the luxury garages where it began.
Victims of luxury car scam left in ruins
For investors like Yevgeniya Khaimova, the luxury car scam began with glossy promises: Plush would rent out her Cadillac Escalade, BMW 760i and other high-end cars for at least $1,500 a day, cover all expenses, and split the profits. By late 2024, the payments dried up, calls went unanswered, and she no longer knew where her cars were, even as loan notices and collection letters stacked up at home.
Another victim, identified only as Christopher, entrusted a Range Rover, a black BMW iX SUV and a black Escalade to Plush after being told the deals could be “life‑changing,” only to watch his credit score collapse from 825 to below 500 when payments stopped. Others, including investor Hanna, were horrified to learn their vehicles had allegedly been used in crimes or ended up repossessed, while they remained on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars.
Edgewater offices and garages hide the damage
The scam’s epicenter was an office building in Fort Lee and operations based in Edgewater, where victims once saw rows of high‑end vehicles neatly packed into a garage that looked every bit like a thriving rental fleet. When Khaimova returned on a gloomy holiday afternoon to retrieve her cars, she instead walked into a paper trail of chaos—key fobs, credit applications, insurance forms, and contracts that would later become evidence.
Inside Plush’s office, Christopher recalled piles of unpaid car payment letters, E‑ZPass toll notices, and parking tickets, each stack tied to a different victim whose vehicle had been sucked into the operation.
The scale of the alleged luxury car fraud
The luxury car scam has ballooned into a sprawling case that mixes six‑figure vehicles with designer shopping sprees and mounting legal peril.
- Victims placed vehicles such as a Cadillac Escalade worth about $100,000, a BMW 760i exceeding $122,000 new, Mercedes E‑Class models starting around $88,000, and Honda Accords valued near $40,000 each into Plush’s fleet.
- Bank records obtained by investigators show thousands of dollars spent at luxury retailers, including more than $1,000 visits to Gucci, plus charges at Louis Vuitton, Saks Fifth Avenue, Ferragamo and Neiman Marcus, as well as a $2,900 payment to a testosterone clinic.
- TD Bank statements also flagged repeated cash withdrawals, restaurant and bar tabs, Starbucks runs, and overdraft fees, with little evidence of legitimate fleet‑rental business spending.
- Victims and prosecutors estimate combined losses in the tens of thousands of dollars per person, with some facing total exposure well beyond $50,000 once repossessions, missed payments and ruined credit are factored in.
How the luxury car scam unraveled
The scheme resembled a classic Ponzi‑style operation, where new investors and cars were allegedly used to plug gaps left by missed payments to earlier participants. Plush and Imperial Exotic Cars dangled claims of big corporate contracts—such as deals with Uber or the Barclays Center in Brooklyn—that would soon deliver fresh cash, but documents later reviewed by reporters and Uber itself showed those contracts were fake.
As summer 2024 turned to fall, more owners complained that loans were unpaid and cars were missing, forcing some to hire lawyers or investigators just to locate their own vehicles. An earlier NJ Advance Media investigation helped connect scattered victims, revealing patterns of unpaid debts, damaged and repossessed cars, and falsified paperwork that pushed the case firmly into prosecutors’ sights.
Personal spending and fake promises fuel collapse
Financial records suggest Plush’s business accounts were treated more like personal wallets than a professional rental operation, with luxury shopping, clinic visits and nightlife charges draining funds that should have covered car payments and insurance. Christopher, who briefly worked inside the business, said he only realised the depth of the problem after insisting on seeing bank statements and discovering how little was being spent on actual fleet costs.
At the same time, alleged co‑owners repeatedly reassured investors that big deals were “about to close,” even after companies named in contracts, like Uber, confirmed the paperwork was bogus and no agreements existed.
Will alleged con artists face new charges?
The couple at the center of the luxury car scam—linked to Plush Luxury Collection and Imperial Exotic Cars—already face criminal cases, but people close to the probe say prosecutors are examining whether to file additional charges as new victims come forward. New Jersey’s Attorney General’s Office has declined public comment, but sources familiar with the investigation say investigators are reviewing bank statements, contracts, and investor testimony that could support expanded counts of fraud or theft by deception.
Victims like Pino, whose complaints helped trigger earlier charges, now field messages from others who say they, too, turned over vehicles or money and were left in financial ruin. Many have spent years trying to recover cars, salvage credit scores and rebuild savings, and they argue that only tougher, broader charges will deter similar “exotic car” investment schemes from resurfacing under new names.
Conclusion
For those caught in the luxury car scam, the fallout goes far beyond losing access to a high‑end ride; it has meant wrecked credit, repossessed cars, family savings wiped out, and constant anxiety over collection calls. As prosecutors weigh whether to bring fresh charges against the alleged ringleaders, victims say real justice must include not only accountability, but also a clear warning about get‑rich‑quick offers that use luxury brands and glossy showrooms to disguise basic financial fraud. Until that happens, their fight is as much about exposing a playbook as it is about recovering what they lost.
