Gary Grayson, of Ventura, looks at some inventory at the recently opened Crown Classics in Ventura on Tuesday, July 26, 2022. The dealership has over 180 classic cars. Crown Classics 3
Santa Ana, California – Authorities have arrested a former executive at a classic car dealership in Newport Beach on federal charges of embezzling approximately $7 million from his employer in a scheme stretching back at least four years.
Alexander G. Ramos, 62, a resident of Newport Beach and a Mexican national who was previously deported from the United States, is accused of orchestrating a wire fraud scheme while working in the company’s Risk Management Department. Federal investigators say Ramos exploited his position of trust, allegedly siphoning millions meant for legitimate business expenses into accounts he controlled.
According to a criminal complaint unsealed Thursday, Ramos worked for the victim company — which specializes in purchasing and selling classic cars — from 2017 until his termination in September 2024. In his role, Ramos oversaw payment requests to title agents nationwide and had access to sensitive financial processes.
Federal authorities allege Ramos abused that access to divert excess payments to outside entities, including a DMV services business in Las Vegas. He then instructed those entities to reroute the overages into bank accounts he controlled. A forensic review of financial records revealed that approximately $7 million in checks and wires were funneled into Ramos-controlled accounts between 2020 and 2024.
Some of the funds deposited into Ramos’s accounts were refunds from overpaid vehicle registration fees that he should have returned to the dealership’s clients. Instead, the money allegedly ended up in personal accounts, and was partly used to purchase a home in Irvine, according to the affidavit.
Ramos was taken into custody and appeared in federal court, where a magistrate judge ordered him held without bond. His arraignment is scheduled for June 30. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
The complaint also reveals that Ramos is an undocumented immigrant who had previously been deported in 2017, only to re-enter the country illegally.
The FBI and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s Office of Inspector General jointly investigate the case. Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Fu of the Orange County Office is prosecuting.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office emphasized that a criminal complaint is not a finding of guilt and that Ramos is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
