Juan Agosto, an avid Jeep enthusiast, was one of the affected customers. His Jeep, which he said had a "special place in my heart," broke down in December 2023 when the transmission failed. Eager to get back on the road, Agosto turned to Carlos Mireles, a mechanic he found on social media, and took his vehicle to Mireles' shop on Chippewa Boulevard in northwest Harris County.
"He told me, 'Yeah, don't worry about it, simple rebuild. We should have it done in a week,'" Agosto recalled.
He paid a $575 deposit. One week stretched into months. Eventually, Mireles stopped responding to messages. When Agosto returned to the shop nearly a year later, both Mireles and his business had vanished - along with his Jeep.
"I should have known this was a scam," Agosto said.
In January 2025, Agosto received a phone call from someone who said he had found his information inside the Jeep's glovebox. The caller advised him to visit Mireles' new shop on Deer Trail if he wanted to recover his vehicle. When Agosto confronted Mireles and threatened to contact law enforcement, Mireles reportedly dismissed the threat.
"When I threatened that I was going to call the cops, he pretty much laughed at me and said, 'That happens to me all the time. They can't do anything to me,'" Agosto said.
However, Agosto proceeded with filing a report, and his call got the case started. According to court records, Mireles was charged in April 2025 with aggregate theft, accused of stealing more than $40,000 worth of parts and vehicles from at least four different customers who had originally come to him for repairs.
On Saturday, Mireles was arrested while allegedly driving a car with a fake license plate, as noted in court documents, and for which he faces an additional charge of tampering with a government record.
"He needs to be in jail because it's not just me, but a lot of people," Agosto said.
While it's not clear whether other victims recovered their vehicles, Agosto was lucky. Authorities tracked his Jeep using road cameras to Wharton County. The man who was driving it was charged. Agosto said Mireles had sold it.
"I just don't know how he keeps doing this to people and is able to sleep. It's heartless," Agosto said.
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