Police say Talal Obeid of Pure Performance used fraudulent mechanic’s liens on luxury cars. Investigators seized nine exotic vehicles, $47,000 in cash, and more than $900,000 in assets. A 600-member Facebook group documents years of alleged problems with the shop. Car theft can be big business, and if Houston police are right, they’ve just dealt a big blow in that space. Authorities say they’ve uncovered a sophisticated multi-state fraud operation that moved high-end vehicles from California to Texas, then used fake mechanics’ liens to try to legally take possession of them. The bust recovered $900k worth of assets. The Houston Auto Crimes Task Force and HPD’s Special Response Team executed a search warrant at 8620 Windswept Lane on March 31 and arrested 35-year-old Talal Obeid. Police say the location was Pure Performance, a Houston-area performance shop. Investigators seized nine exotic and luxury vehicles, including seven BMWs, along with roughly $47,000 in cash. According to police, the scheme involved vehicles that were either rented from luxury rental companies or purchased in California with small down payments before being transported to Texas. Investigators allege fraudulent mechanic’s liens were filed, claiming tens of thousands of dollars in repair work had been performed. The goal was to gain legal ownership of the vehicles if the alleged owners failed to pay. One of the key examples in the case involves a Mercedes-AMG. Investigators told ABC 13 that Obeid filed a notice in September claiming Pure Performance had performed approximately $63,000 worth of repairs to the car. But police say there were no photos of the alleged damage, no receipts for parts, and no records showing the work had actually been completed. When officers later asked Obeid for the documentation, they say he admitted he didn’t have it, but insisted: “I do legit business.” When Carscoops reached out to Pure Performance, someone at the shop told us that “As usual! Can’t trust the news!” When asked for additional clarification about the arrest and investigation, the shop didn’t respond. That said, the police allegations are now being reinforced, at least in part, by a growing number of former customers online. A public Facebook group called “Talal Obeid TJ Pure Performance BMW corrections” has attracted more than 600 members and contains dozens of posts from people claiming they had negative experiences with the shop. Those allegations remain unproven. However, several posters claim they paid Pure Performance for parts that never arrived, engine builds that failed, or repairs that dragged on for months. Others allege they were encouraged to pay using methods like Zelle or PayPal Friends & Family, which can make it harder to recover money. One group member claimed he spent roughly $20,000 on an engine rebuild for a BMW M5 in 2021, only to get the car back months later, still smoking and burning oil. Another alleged the business had a history of taking payment for parts or work and then failing to deliver. We also reached out to the Houston PD for this report. At this point, we await further details as the case develops. Credit: Houston PD