Men used fake identities in attempt to buy luxury cars at Bluffton-area dealership, cops say
Two men were arrested for allegedly trying to buy vehicles under false identities at a Hilton Head Island-area luxury car dealership, using fake driver’s licenses and fraudulent social security cards.
Shawn Jamaine Ward, 52, of Detroit, and Dequavious Antonyio-Joseph Powell, 37, of Myrtle Beach, were charged Thursday with felony counts of forgery. Powell faces an additional felony charge of financial transaction card theft, according to inmate records.
Ward and Powell arrived Thursday afternoon at Hilton Head Buick GMC Cadillac, located off U.S. 278 (Fording Island Road) slightly east of Bluffton town limits.
A manager told police over the phone that two men in the finance office had given false information in their attempt to purchase vehicles. One man’s credit report was “flagged for suspicious and fraudulent purchases,” and while attempting to print out their temporary tags, employees couldn’t match any of their provided information with the DMV database, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office incident report.
The deputy arrived at the dealership soon after and met with the manager, who provided her with the false identities the men allegedly used: Ward was posing as a “David Cobb” and Powell as a “Jimmy Johnson,” according to the report. The man later identified as Powell had recently left in a white Mercedes with a Wisconsin tag, the manager told police.
Police found Ward and the Mercedes at a nearby Enmarket convenience store on Fording Island Road, the report says.
Ward told deputies he had flown from Michigan to Myrtle Beach and then drove to the Hilton Head-area dealership with Powell to purchase the vehicles. He had obtained his false information “from a homeless man in Wisconsin” and paid for a fake license and social security card, Ward was documented saying in the report.
The deputy charged both men with felony forgery for allegedly signing paperwork under false identities to buy vehicles worth tens of thousands of dollars: Powell attempted to make a $61,340 purchase, the police report says, and Ward’s chosen vehicle was worth $50,321.
After searching Powell and finding 10 credit and debit cards belonging to at least two other people, police also charged him with financial transaction card theft, the report says.
Altogether, according to the report, deputies collected American Express credit cards, social security cards and fake driver’s licenses from the men, all bearing the names David Cobb and Jimmy Johnson. Both men were trespassed from the dealership.
Court records show Powell was released Friday from the Beaufort County Detention Center after posting cash bonds totaling $20,000. As of Monday afternoon, Ward remained in custody on a $10,000 cash bond.
This story was originally published March 10, 2026 at 8:01 AM.
