Michigan AG busts crime ring linked to more than 400 stolen cars
TROY, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – A massive police operation has busted a major car theft ring responsible for stealing over 400 cars across Metro Detroit, resulting in at least $8 million in losses.
According to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, the investigation began last August after learning a team of criminals was targeting car lots at the Big Three, dealerships, and homeowners by using sophisticated technology like pro pads.
"It's like a Grand Theft Auto video game, is really the best I can compare this enterprise to," Attorney General Dana Nessel said.
Nessel adds that the crooks were making fake titles and selling the stolen cars for pennies on the dollar.
"I've been doing this job for 30 years now. And in my time, I've never seen such bold and brazen thefts from new car auto dealerships. Our members have had their service stores rammed in and perpetrators with already stolen vehicles, ramming these doors in, and then going in and stealing more cars," Rod Alberts, executive director of the Detroit Auto Dealers Association, said during a news conference Thursday.
Over time, the crime ring grew violent.
"One instance, a security officer working a night shift on a Big Three automotive manufacturer storage lot was rammed inside her vehicle so severely that both her legs were broken upon impact," Nessel said.
Then, on Wednesday, special agents from the AG office and more than 200 officers from another dozen law enforcement agencies carried out a massive operation, arresting six suspects. Each one is charged with conducting a criminal enterprise and using a computer to commit a crime, both 20-year felonies.
- Kevin Lamont Stevenson Jr., 21, of Detroit, who has been additionally charged with nine counts of Receiving and Concealing a Stolen Motor Vehicle.
- Joseph David Doyle, 25, of Onsted, who has been additionally charged with six counts of Receiving and Concealing a Stolen Motor Vehicle.
- Braylen Jeese Green, 20, of Wixom, who has been additionally charged with nine counts of Receiving and Concealing a Stolen Motor Vehicle.
- Dejhon Trevon Bush, 20, of Detroit, who has been additionally charged with seven counts of Receiving and Concealing a Stolen Motor Vehicle.
- Zamarr Terrell Johnson, 18, of Troy, who has been additionally charged with 12 counts of Receiving and Concealing a Stolen Motor Vehicle and two counts of 4th Degree Fleeing or Eluding.
- Desmond Maurice Wilson (PDF), 21, of Detroit, who has been additionally charged with nine counts of Receiving and Concealing a Stolen Motor Vehicle and one count of Breaking and Entering with Intent.
There are still two more on the run as the investigation continues.
"These are not victimless crimes by any measure. And we're going to continue to hold people accountable. And again, that also includes the buyer. Just because you weren't involved in the theft of the vehicle doesn't mean that you are not a part of ensuring that an organized crime ring like this is allowed to thrive," Nessel said.
All six defendants will make their first court appearances on Friday in Redford, Novi and Warren.