Former NFL player arrested in stolen car probe

DETROIT — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and officers from the Detroit and Trenton Police Departments arrested a Maryland man Monday on state charges of receiving and concealing stolen property and intent to pass a false vehicle title. The arrest follows a more than two-year probe into the scheme.

Authorities arrested former NFL cornerback Grant Mason, 31, of Suitland, Maryland, Monday at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport, where he attempted to depart the United States via a flight to Canada. During a routine outbound inspection, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) briefly detained Mason before turning him over to Detroit Police officers and HSI special agents on the state charges.

Mason came under HSI scrutiny in 2012 after a stolen 2011 Audi Q5 he allegedly sold via craigslist to a Canadian buyer was intercepted at the Ambassador Bridge by CBP officers. According to the HSI probe, Mason allegedly transported the vehicle from Washington, D.C., to Michigan for purchase, where he later listed it on craigslist.

The investigation revealed the vehicle Mason sold had a bogus vehicle identification number on a counterfeit Virginia title which he later used to obtain a legitimate Maryland transfer title. Upon obtaining the Maryland title, Mason subsequently applied for and obtained a Michigan transfer title, which was provided to the unwitting Canadian buyer. The vehicle was sold for approximately $30,000.

Mason is currently in state custody at the Mound Detention Facility in Detroit. He is scheduled for arraignment via video conferencing from the facility Wednesday. If convicted, Mason faces a maximum of up to 15 years in prison.