Colorado prosecutors say an 11-person auto-theft crew treated Front Range airport and hotel parking lots like their personal showroom, swiping trucks, trailers, and off-road toys, then funneling some of the loot out of state and out of the country.
A statewide grand jury on Monday returned indictments charging 11 people with 52 counts tied to what authorities describe as a sprawling motor-vehicle theft ring that hit smaller airport lots, hotel parking areas, and other spots across Adams, Boulder, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson, Larimer, and Weld counties. The group is accused of stealing 41 pickup trucks, trailers, and recreational utility terrain vehicles, with stolen vehicles, property and damage estimated at more than $900,000. The cases were filed in Jefferson County and include charges ranging from racketeering and conspiracy under Colorado’s Organized Crime Control Act to second-degree motor-vehicle theft and forgery, according to The Denver Post.
Prosecutors Say The Ring Had Global Ambitions
Denver District Attorney John Walsh said the grand jury action is aimed at a car-theft crew that did not stop at county lines.
“This indictment targets a car-theft organization that is alleged to have been operating on an international scale,” Walsh said as the indictments were announced. Prosecutors told reporters and detailed in court filings that members allegedly used stolen vehicles to commit other crimes, then moved some of those vehicles across the border to be sold…