DENHAM SPRINGS – A man whose shoplifting arrest at Juban Crossing Shopping Mall in February 2022 led to officials uncovering a theft ring targeting heavy equipment across several parishes pleaded guilty to multiple charges, the Department of Justice said.
Christopher Byerley, 45, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport a stolen motor vehicle, possession of fifteen or more unauthorized access devices, conspiracy to trafficking a firearm and receipt of a trafficked firearm, possession of an unregistered silencer alongside altering, removing and obliterating a vehicle identification number.
According to Byerley’s admissions, he and three other co-conspirators carried out a coordinated operation across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas to steal, use or sell the stolen and altered vehicles that included tractors, excavators, forklifts and a pickup truck. The total value was over $250,000…