Man accused of stealing $500,000 worth of rental cars

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A man accused of stealing rental cars and selling them in Mexico was arrested Tuesday at the Progreso bridge.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection detained Jose Alberto Sosa, 45, of Mercedes on Tuesday, when he attempted to cross the bridge.

Officers contacted Homeland Security Investigations, which questioned Sosa about the stolen cars.

Sosa confessed to renting a 2025 BMW X1 in Nashville on May 4 using a counterfeit Mexican passport, according to the criminal complaint against him.

He drove the BMW to McAllen, “knowing it was not going to be returned,” according to the criminal complaint. The BMW crossed the Progreso bridge on May 9.

Sosa said he received $1,000 for every rental car that crossed the border.

It wasn’t the first time Sosa had stolen a car.

Sosa “admitted to his involvement in a conspiracy to export multiple vehicles estimated to have an aggrevate value of over $500,000.00 from May - July 2025 from various rental car companies throughout the United States,” according to the criminal complaint.

Homeland Security Investigations, which is part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, charged Sosa with participating in a conspiracy to defraud the United States.

If convicted, Sosa faces a maximum of five years in federal prison.