Florida Man Pawns Jaguar…Belonging to His BFF

By Sherry Bryan - May 11, 2020

**There’s a lot of good lessons here. Mainly: Don’t lend your Jaguar to anyone!**

Oh, Florida. No offense–you know we love you–but seriously? When it comes to “Florida Man” stories, you never fail us. And a Florida Man meets Jaguar? Well, we just knew this was going to be a doozy.

Recently, a (you guessed it) Florida Man was arrested after he pawned a Jaguar. The problem? It wasn’t exactly his. Okay, it wasn’t his at all. In fact, it belonged to a friend. We’re guessing that would now be former friend.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, Hein C. Le was booked on charges of grand theft auto and title fraud. Le borrowed a Jaguar from a pal, and then sold the $60,000 car.

Adding insult to larceny, Le then avoided and ghosted his friend of over 20 years. After trying to reach Le for over a year, his buddy knew something was off. He hired a private investigator to track down lost Le…and his Jag.

What they discovered was that Le has been very busy. According to the arrest report from the Pinellas Country Sheriff’s Department, shortly after borrowing the Jag in November of 2018, Le went to the DMV. He used forged documents, including power of attorney to get the car’s title.

Then Le went to a pawn shop in Tampa, where he proceeded to pawn the Jaguar several times over the next few days. Unable to pay the $30,000 to get it out of hock, Le lost the car. Obviously, seeing a Jaguar at a pawn shop must have been a great draw to any big cat fan.

We’re not sure if the original owner will be able to get his Jaguar back. Legally it is a tricky area. But if the sale was based on a fraudulently obtained pink slip, there is some hope.

In the meantime, Le was subsequently arrested, charged, and released on $7,000 bail. We’re guessing his ol’ pal didn’t loan him the money. But then again…this is a Florida Man story. Usually we need to throw logic out the window first.

Ultimately we are left with many questions. But mainly: Why would you lend him your Jaguar for so long?! Also: Why would you—how did he—oh, forget it Jake, it’s Florida.