Stolen 911 Turbo recovered after Sarasota car museum thief registers it … in Sarasota

The 1977 Porsche 911 Turbo on display at the Sarasota Classic Car Museum prior to its theft. Flickr/Surreal Name Given

It was a one-two punch for the Sarasota Classic Car Museum in Florida.

First the museum, situated in the same location for half a century, received notice from its landlord, the New College of Florida, that it had to pack up and leave. Then, four days later, a valuable 1977 Porsche 911 Turbo (aka Type 930) was stolen from the museum in what appeared to be a well-organized heist.

Fortunately for the museum, which was informed it only had several weeks (until the end of June 2023) to clear out, was given an extension before its relocation.

And last month, the car, which belonged to a client of the museum, was recovered. A 36-year-old suspect in the theft of the Porsche, valued at $250,000, was arrested on July 21, according to WPEC/Channel 12 of West Palm Beach. The details are just now coming to light.

Sarasota PD recovered stolen porsche 911 930
Sarasota Police Department

The suspect, consummate Florida man Daniel Boyce of Sarasota, was originally arrested for failing to appear for a grand theft auto charge, but now he also faces a felony charge of fraud after he registered the car—in Sarasota—using fraudulent documents.

Officers responded to a 3 a.m. burglary alarm in June at the Sarasota Classic Car Museum, but no employee could be reached, and the building was concluded to be secure. Several hours later, Sarasota Police Department officers were dispatched again and discovered pry marks on a door and an open chain-link fence, which was closed when officers first came to the museum.

Sarasota Car Museum exterior
Flickr/Surreal Name Given

Surveillance footage showed an unknown man on the property at the time of the burglary alarm in the early morning, said WPEC. A museum employee told SPD officers seven vehicles had to be moved to take the 1977 Porsche. Boyce allegedly used gasoline left at the car museum to start the car, and the keys were left on the drivers-side floorboard. The burglar drove off in the 930 and was last seen on surveillance video on North Tamiami Trail at 5:15 a.m.

Several days later, an anonymous tip received by the Sarasota Classic Car Museum told an employee Boyce was seen with a brown Porsche at a warehouse, the affidavit said. That museum employee then relayed the information to police.

Sarasota PD stolen Porsche 911 recovery hood
Sarasota Police Department

After following several leads, police found that Boyce actually registered a 1976 brown Porsche under an LLC company called Triton Engineering on June 21. Police, in collaboration with a Sarasota County Tax Collector supervisor, found that Boyce provided a VIN number from a car involved in a 23-year-old crash and sold to a salvage yard in California, the affidavit said.

A Maine registration used in this process was also discovered to be fraudulent. The bill of sale, odometer verification letter, and a letter from Triton Engineering indicating Boyce was allowed to register the car with this company were all found to be fake as well. The letter, signed by a Christopher McGill, listed Boyce’s own cellphone number.

Sarasota PD stolen Porsche 911 recovery rear
Sarasota Police Department

A search warrant of the suspect’s phone revealed a photo of a brown Porsche identical to the stolen 1977 Porsche 911 Turbo. Another photo showed a storage unit code and unit number. The car was found inside the storage unit.

The investigation continues, WPEC said, while Boyce awaits arraignment in September.

Meanwhile, the museum still has to move.

 

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Comments

    Hmmm… Apparently this criminal wasn’t the brightest bulb around. Some people are so, disappointing. I’d like to know if the criminal had any sort of previous dealings with the museum?

    Well, the LLC was set up only two weeks before the crime and the address seems to be fake; another company is located there.

    When I was a young man, someone like this would’ve set up the LLC in Alabama and registered the car there, waited a bit, repainted the car, and then brought it back to Florida. I agree with swamibob – not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

    Not only a better political climate but better roads, you know, with actual canyon with curves. And, your vote counts here…

    Oh, come on. Save the politics for some other site. Can’t there be one place online that’s free from partisan jerks? We come here to read interesting stories about cars. Not your tiresome whining.

    And as to the completely disconnected (yet oh-so-predictable) Nazi reference? For Pete’s sake. What’s wrong with you?

    I subscribe to the Hagerty newsletter to read about cars and get away from politics. Please consider presenting your political viewpoints on any number of other social media outlets. There is more to life than political commentary. Some of us want to read about cars at least once in a while.

    Thank You. Couldn’t have said it better. There is a huge social media septic tank for all the narcissistic political bleatings.

    The best outcome possible here because the criminal’s IQ is below room temperature in a Chicago winter.

    and why would you steal an arguably funky looking brown 911, when there’s a beautiful 356 right next to it?

    To the best of my knowledge, a 356 wouldn’t have had air conditioning, while it was standard equipment on the 930. In Sarasota, that counts for a lot; todays “heat index” (not actual temperature) comes with an EXCESSIVE heat warning of 115* (that’s before 10:00 AM, as I type this barely 30 miles to the north of Sarasota, in Parrish).
    Having to move seven (7) cars to get the 930 out, I suspect the choice went deeper than a/c though (maybe his life-long dream was to drive a few miles in a 911 turbo, or the desire to spend a decade or so in jail…).

    At least it didn’t end up in the lake in Doral (near Miami) where the local aluthorities just discovered 32 cars at the lake’s bottom, some that were reported stolen as far back as 1996…You’d think the oil slick from 32 cars would have tipped off folks that there was something in the lake besides alligators.

    A friend works at a Credit Union. Recently two customers bought BMW models with the same VIN. One VIN was C L E A R L Y altered. Selling dealer pled ignorance. Amazed this is still happening in our world. peace

    Advertised my 760i and was overnighted a certified bank check watermark and all, that fooled tellers but the manager realized it was fake. Still have the check and 760i

    Boyce is almost as stupid as the bank robber who wrote his demand note on one of his checking account’s deposit slips.

    Fortunately, Ron White was right.

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