Episode 023: Cary Thornton – Steamclean, Undercover Sting

JERRI WILLIAMS iTUNES

Retired agent Cary Thornton served in the FBI for 21 years. He spent his career working undercover on Bureau cases throughout the country and as a technically trained agent. In this episode of FBI Retired Case File Review, Cary is interviewed about an undercover sting and insurance fraud investigation he worked in Detroit for nearly three years where he and two other undercover FBI agents played the roles of owners and operators of an auto wrecking company willing to dispose of cars for cash so their owners could file fraudulent insurance claims. The case was given the Bureau code name Operation Steamclean, which incorporated the term, steaming, slang used to describe dumping a vehicle for the insurance payoff. The case resulted in more than 50 indictments charging individuals with fraudulent claims exceeding $100 million. To learn more about Cary’s FBI career check out his memoir – An Oath of Office.

Special Agent (Retired)

Cary L. Thornton, Jr.

9/17/1979 – 3/31/2001

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Cary worked on the Operation Steamclean undercover sting for three years. As information about the fictitious company S & C Auto Brokers spread throughout the Detroit area, potential customers would reach out to the undercover agents day and night to arrange for their cars to be “stolen.” Below are newspaper articles about the case:

FBI Sting Junks Insurance Ring In Detroit

F.B.I. Charges 170 In Car Insurance Fraud

Detroit Intelligence Operation
Cary was involved with Operation Steamclean for three years while assigned to the Detroit Division.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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S & C Auto Brokers – The Bureau created fictitious company was a legend in the Detroit auto theft business during the mid-1980’s. Cary was Carl.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operation Steam Clean
Cary, aka Carl, and associates negotiate with an individual who has a car he was to dispose of.

 

 

 

 

 

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Cary and associates negotiating another vehicle deal as part of the undercover sting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Cary was captured by a newspaper photographer in San Juan, Puerto Rico as he entered an abandoned building to locate bank robbery loot using technical recovery equipment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book
Cary’s memoir – Oath of Office can be purchased here.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jerri Williams

View posts by Jerri Williams
Jerri Williams, a retired FBI agent, author and podcaster, jokes that she writes about the FBI to relive her glory days. After 26 years with the Bureau specializing in major economic fraud and corruption investigations, she calls on her professional encounters with scams and schemers to write police procedurals inspired by true crime FBI cases in her Philadelphia FBI Corruption Squad crime fiction series featuring flawed female FBI agent Kari Wheeler. Jerri’s FBI for Armchair Detectives nonfiction series enables readers to discover who the FBI is and what the FBI does by debunking misconceptions about the FBI in books, TV, and movies. Her books are available as ebooks, paperbacks, and audiobooks wherever books are sold. She’s also the host of FBI Retired Case File Review, a true crime podcast with more than 300 episodes available on all popular podcast apps and YouTube.

2 Comments

  1. ChristieJuly 24, 2016

    I enjoyed the stories of Cary Thornton and in listening have an even greater respect for his role in law enforcement. Thank you for this podcast.

    Reply
    1. Jerri WilliamsJuly 24, 2016

      Cary had a great career. I’m honored that he allowed me to share parts of it on this podcast.

      Reply

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