This award recognizes a state, local, tribal or federal government authorized NMVTIS Law Enforcement Access Tool (LEAT) user (this may be an individual or task force/group) who has demonstrated excellence in completing an investigation related to NMVTIS violations and/or in the use of the LEAT as a tool to further an investigation of motor vehicle related crimes.
This award is presented at the international level.
Each agency/organization may submit only ONE entry.
Criteria for selection:
- Demonstrated diligence in conducting a NMVTIS investigation by compiling facts and evidence that support successful prosecution
- Exemplary use of NMVTIS LEAT at a high level with measurable results
- Going above and beyond to share knowledge, resources, and information related to a NMVTIS investigation or use of NMVTIS LEAT in gathering pertinent information that enhances an investigation
This award is open to AAMVA jurisdiction members and to non-members.
2023 Winner
Tennessee Department of Revenue
Randy Belasic, Special Investigations
This case started in 2021 through the fall of 2022. Information was initially received about a suspected cloned vehicle through THP/CID. Agent Belasic used NMVTIS to determine there was no record found for the surrendered title. The only title found was from Tennessee which should not have been the case since the vehicle was supposedly titled in another state. The vehicle was discovered to be stolen. Due to the information given about possible stolen cars, a search of all vehicles titled in Sevier County from 2020-2021 was conducted using the state database as well as NMVTIS to determine if the surrendered title was valid. Multiple vehicles were found that were determined to have fraudulent titles used to obtain a Tennessee title. Agent Belasic was contacted by the FBI and told his investigation overlapped an ongoing federal investigation involving stolen cars, drugs, and organized crime from Florida to Tennessee. Agent Belasic and Trooper Hall researched the suspected vehicles by completing a search on Tennessee data to find the surrendered titles. They then used NMVIS to search the VIN and pull a title history. Finally, they used NICB for shipping information on the vehicle. The big "clue" is that none of the Florida titles surrendered in Tennessee showed up on NMVTIS. Other vehicles were checked through NICB using the VIN and those VIN’s did not come back with a shipping record. This reaffirmed their suspicions that the transaction was fraudulent. After weeks of compiling information concerning stolen vehicles, Agent Belasic organized a roundup of all vehicles with the help of the FBI, Sevier County S.O., Department of Revenue Anti-Theft Unit, THP/CID, and NICB agents. During the two-day operation, the task force recovered a total of 25 stolen vehicles that were not on his list. To date over 70 stolen vehicles have been recovered with several more still outstanding. Vehicles have been recovered in Tennessee, North Carolina, Missouri, California, Alabama, and Florida. Most of the vehicles recovered were reported stolen just prior to the Tennessee titles being issued. NMVTIS was a valuable tool in determining fraudulent titles in this case.