Nine suspects have been indicted and arrested in connection with a title fraud scheme in north Georgia following a six-month investigation.
The Hall County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit initiated the case in June 2025 after learning of fraud committed by Brandy Marie Pitts, 46, of Lavonia, and Susan Faye Palencia, 61, of Homer. Investigators say both women owned multiple LLCs operating out of an office in Gainesville and colluded with local auto dealerships to commit the crimes.
According to the investigation, car dealers sold older, high-mileage vehicles at elevated prices to unlicensed residents. Since unlicensed individuals cannot legally register vehicles, sales staff directed them to Pitts and Palencia. The women charged customers hundreds of dollars to register the vehicles under their corporation names and urged drivers to buy insurance through the America Insurance Agency, which they also owned.
Authorities determined the pair had conducted these activities since 2018, illegally obtaining more than one million dollars over a seven-year period. Hundreds of vehicles were registered under companies owned by Pitts and Palencia.
In December 2025, the Hall County District Attorney’s Office indicted nine suspects for violation of Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Arrest orders were issued on December 19th, and all suspects have been booked at the Hall County Jail.
The suspects include:
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
Most suspects posted bond and have been released. Ngu remains in jail on a drug court hold.
Officials thanked several agencies for their assistance, including the Hall County Tax Commissioner’s Office, the Flowery Branch Police Department, the Gainesville Police Department, the Banks County Sheriff’s Office, the Lavonia Police Department, the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office, the Rabun CountyTax Commissioner’s Office, the Georgia Office of the Commissioner of Insurance & Fire Safety, theGeorgia Department of Revenue, the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, and the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
