A Kansas City man who allegedly repeatedly sold the same two cars on Facebook Marketplace, then went out and stole them back so he could sell them again, has been arrested.
Mamadou Diallo, 24, who police say went by the name YabebaI Cherinet on Facebook, faces six counts of first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle and eight counts of forgery.
Each count carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.
According to prosecutors in the case, the sales and thefts all followed a similar pattern: eight separate stolen‑vehicle reports were filed in just two months last year, all telling the same story. Each victim had bought either a 2013 gray Honda Civic or a 2013 brown Buick Verano through Facebook Marketplace from the same seller – a man hiding behind an online alias who, investigators claim, turned out to be the defendant now facing charges.
Buyers met the seller in person, paid in cash, and walked away with what appeared to be a legitimate title and bill of sale. But then each one of the new owners discovered the vehicle they had just bought had been stolen – often within 24 hours.
Victims identified Diallo in police line-ups, and one woman who was sold a car that was rapidly then stolen caught CCTV footage of a man she identified as Diallo returning to her property and taking the vehicle.
The police report stated that when the victim “discovered the vehicle missing, they reviewed the video surveillance of their property and observed the suspect stealing the vehicle on 13 June 2025 at approximately 0100 hours,” about seven hours after she’d paid for it.
The report added: “They later saw the same vehicle on sale again on Facebook Marketplace, and reached out to the seller with a different account. They asked if the vehicle was still available, the seller responded yes, and appeared willing to make arrangements to sell the vehicle again.”
According to the police, in an interview, Diallo “stated he was unaware of anything to do with selling vehicles”.
“He denied buying and selling vehicles in Facebook Marketplace,” the officer who conducted the interview said. “I showed him the name YabebaI Cherinet and asked if he recognized the name, he said no. I asked him if he had used that name to sell vehicles on Facebook Marketplace, he said ‘no, prove it’.”
In total, the victims’ losses from the scam are estimated at $24,000.
Diallo is currently in custody at the Jackson County Detention Center, where officials say he is being held on a $30,000 bond that must be paid in full before he can be released.
He is also facing additional warrants for failing to appear in court, as well as detention requests from several other jurisdictions in the region – including counties in both Kansas and Missouri.
According to court records, he is scheduled to return to Jackson County court for a bond‑review hearing on 27 January.
The Independent has contacted Facebook for comment.
