Nine suspects have been indicted and arrested following a sweeping title fraud investigation that stretched across North Georgia, authorities revealed this week.

The six-month investigation, led by the Hall County Sheriff's Office Special Investigations Unit, uncovered an elaborate scheme in which local car dealers, in collaboration with two business owners, allegedly assisted unlicensed buyers in illegally registering vehicles and obtaining insurance, netting the suspects more than $1 million since 2018.

Investigators say Brandy Marie Pitts, 46, of Lavonia, and Susan Faye Palencia, 61, of Homer, operated multiple LLCs out of Gainesville and worked in concert with several Hall County auto dealerships. 

The dealerships sold older, high-mileage cars at inflated prices to unlicensed residents, then referred those customers to Pitts and Palencia. For a fee, the duo would register the vehicles under their company names, bypassing legal requirements. They also urged buyers to purchase insurance from America Insurance Agency, which they owned.

According to the Hall County District Attorney's Office, hundreds of vehicles were registered through these companies over a seven-year period. 

In December 2025, a grand jury indicted nine individuals for violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Arrest orders were issued on Dec. 19, and all suspects have since been booked at the Hall County Jail.

The nine indicted are:

• Brandy Marie Pitts, 46, Lavonia
• Susan Faye Palencia, 61, Homer
• Manuel Rene Alvarez, 51, Gainesville
• Curtis Allen Livingston, 51, Suwanee
• Scott Wedford Norris, 36, Marietta
• Maria D. Escamilla, 47, Flowery Branch
• Vianney Garcia Guerrero, 36, Buford
• Lindsey Ngu, 25, Gainesville
• Juan Camilo Sardi, 27, Gainesville

All but one suspect have posted bond and been released. Lindsey Ngu remains in custody on a drug court hold.

The Hall County Sheriff's Office credits the success of the investigation to collaboration with multiple local, state, and federal agencies, including the Hall County District Attorney, local police departments, and the Georgia Department of Revenue.

The investigation is ongoing.