(WFRV) – Nearly two dozen people, including nine of whom are from Wisconsin, have been identified after an indictment was unsealed that charged them with their alleged roles in a massive interstate car theft ring.
Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced on Friday that the following individuals were charged (separated by state):
- Wisconsin
- 30-year-old Diaunte D. Shields
- 25-year-old Lashawn Davis, Jr.
- 31-year-old Nakiya Wright
- 34-year-old Brianna Shields
- 27-year-old Gerrica Baker
- 28-year-old Tashawn Brown-Smith
- 34-year-old Chaz Holifield
- 32-year-old Meliek McClarn
- 37-year-old Esteban Cardenas
- Georgia
- 35-year-old Geoffrey Harvey
- 41-year-old Willie Bullard
- 40-year-old Brandon Mullins
- 33-year-old Vashawn Milton
- Illinois
- 31-year-old Casha Griffin
- 30-year-old Dequas Crawford-Higgs
- 23-year-old Ja Lean Little
- 27-year-old Deamonte Lee
- 53-year-old Glenn Larsen
- Michigan
- 24-year-old Deon Brooks
- Delaware
- 42-year-old Kenneth Kilson
- North Dakota
- 27-year-old Tashay Northern
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According to the release, court records showed that between roughly January 2019 and February 2024, members of this alleged theft ring stole and directed others to steal vehicles and arranged for them to be transported across the nation.
The alleged theft ring also reportedly created front companies, altered vehicle identification numbers and fake titles while registering them under pretenses to sell for money and drugs.
The investigation reportedly tied more than 175 stolen vehicles, many of which were either new or high-end. Some of the allegedly stolen vehicles were from airports, including Milwaukee General Mitchell International Airport, dealerships and manufacturing plants.
“The charges unsealed against these defendants are the direct result of effective collaboration and countless hours of thorough investigative work by dedicated law enforcement professionals,” Acting U.S. Attorney Frohling said via the release.
All of the defendants face charges of the following nature:
- Conspiracy to:
- Receive, transport and sell stolen vehicles
- Remove, obliterate or tamper with motor vehicle ID numbers
- Produce and transfer false and fraudulent titles for stolen vehicles
If convicted of conspiracy, a defendant faces up to 5 years in prison and/or $250,000 in fines. Several of the defendants also face charges with interstate transportation of stolen vehicles, which is also punishable by up to 10 years in prison and/or $250,000 in fines.
Three of the defendants, Diaunte Shields, Brandon Mullins, and Nakiya Wright, face up to 25 years and a $250,000 fine if convicted of another charge of using interstate commerce to transmit and transfer fictitious obligations.
Diaunte Shields and Lashawn Davis Jr. also face drug trafficking charges, which come with a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison if convicted.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation also played a role in the case, with Milwaukee Special Agent in Charge Michael Hensle calling the organization responsible for drug trafficking multiple kilograms of meth and fentanyl in Wisconsin.
“Following a multi-year investigation, the FBI successfully dismantled a national auto theft ring that has been ongoing since 2019,” Special Agent in Charge Hensle said. “In Wisconsin, this organization is responsible for drug trafficking multiple kilogram quantities of meth and fentanyl.”
Officials in Chicago helped with the investigation as well, calling the alleged organization more than a car theft ring.
“It was identity theft, forgery and financial fraud on a significant scale,” Jason Bushey, Acting Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation, said. “Let me be clear: if you build your enterprise on fraud and deception, we will find you, we will expose you and we will hold you accountable.”
No additional details are available.
