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Police find stolen SUV, Maserati at Edina home

Last update: November 19, 2009 - 9:33 PM

When police went to an Edina home as part of a theft-by-swindle investigation, they found something surprising in the garage: a $123,000 Maserati reported stolen in September.

Jeffrey Albert Wells, 32, is charged in Hennepin County District Court with theft of a motor vehicle as well as felony counts of aggravated theft by swindle and receiving stolen property.

Wells is being held in the county jail in lieu of $150,000 bail, according to jail records. He is also wanted by Plymouth and Eden Prairie police on warrants of issuing dishonored checks, theft by swindle and aggravated forgery.

Edina police and the Minnesota Financial Crimes Strike Force went Monday to the home in the 5900 block of France Avenue. They were investigating a report that Wells bought goods from a California company with three bad checks and had the items for sale on eBay, according to two criminal complaints filed Wednesday.

While there, police found the Maserati Quattroporte and a $35,000 Chevrolet Tahoe in the garage. Wells said he was working on them for a dealership, the complaints said. But authorities found the Tahoe had been stolen from Suburban Chevrolet in Eden Prairie, and the Maserati had a tab registered to a 2006 Chrysler, according to the complaints.

In September, Minnetonka police took a report from the Maserati of Minneapolis dealership that the Quattroporte had been taken sometime before Sept. 7. An employee identified Wells from a photo array and told Minnetonka police he had shown several cars to Wells in August, the complaint added.

VINCE TUSS

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