A Georgia sheriff says investigators are ramping up efforts to track down a custom-built 2025 Range Rover meant for NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal after the luxury SUV vanished in transit earlier this month.
According to Lumpkin County Sheriff Stacy Jarrard, the vehicle, valued at around $180,000, was last seen in Dahlonega, Georgia, approximately 70 miles northeast of Atlanta.
“It was in transit from California to here, to have some fabrication done to it here in Dahlonega,” Jarrard told The Athletic. “From this location, it had to go to another drop point in which, in transit, it came missing.”
Jarrard confirmed that his department has now obtained search warrants tied to the case. “We have search warrants for information to try to identify people of interest,” he said, adding that investigators are pursuing multiple leads in hopes of both recovering the SUV and making an arrest.
California-based Effortless Motors was customizing the Range Rover to accommodate O’Neal’s 7-foot-1 frame and other personal specifications. The vehicle was supposed to be shipped to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for the basketball star to use while attending LSU’s home football game against Texas A&M—but it never arrived.
Ahmad Abdelrahman, a spokesperson for Effortless Motors, told CBS Atlanta that the company arranged transportation through FirstLine Trucking LLC, which later reported that its computer system had been hacked around the same time the car went missing.
“Effortless Motors was the authorized selling dealership and arranged transport through a third-party company that appeared fully verified,” Abdelrahman said. “Upon the vehicle’s scheduled delivery, it was discovered that the company’s internal systems had been compromised and hijacked, resulting in the car being unlawfully taken during transit.”
The sheriff’s office believes the vehicle was relocated to the metro Atlanta area after being stolen. The dealership has since offered a $10,000 reward for any information leading to its recovery.
Jarrard said O’Neal has been directly involved with authorities since the theft was reported. “One hundred percent, he cooperated,” Jarrard noted. “Shaquille O’Neal spoke with an investigator with the case, filed a report of it missing, and has shown complete cooperation. He’s hopeful someone is caught and faces the consequences.”
Officials suspect the case could involve “double brokering,” a type of shipping scam in which a legitimate carrier unknowingly subcontracts to an imposter posing as a verified transport company.
The same tactic was reportedly used in a separate heist last year that cost Guy Fieri and Sammy Hagar’s Santo Tequila brand over $1 million in lost product.