Organized auto theft, burglary crime ring member sentenced to 24 years in Colorado prison
A high-profile member of an organized auto theft and burglary crime ring has been sentenced to 24 years in a Colorado prison. Rene Ruiz was sentenced to prison on Thursday by a Larimer County District Court judge. The sentence was handed down after his conviction for his involvement as a high-level member of criminal organizations that stole numerous vehicles and committed a series of burglaries in Colorado from 2020-2023.
Prosecutors said that the 24-year sentence is one of the longest the Colorado Attorney General's Office has in an organized motor vehicle theft case.
Ruiz, 24, pleaded guilty to one count each of racketeering under the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act, first-degree aggravated motor vehicle theft, and theft of auto parts in the Larimer County case, as well as one count each of first-degree aggravated motor vehicle theft and second-degree burglary in one of the Adams County cases. In the third case prosecuted by the 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office in Adams County, Ruiz pleaded guilty to an additional count of violation of Colorado Organized Crime Control Act and first-degree aggravated motor vehicle theft.
"In collaboration with law enforcement partners, we were able to investigate and break up three overlapping major auto theft rings that harmed many residents and businesses in Colorado. As this conviction illustrates, stolen cars are often used to commit other crimes and threaten communities. We are committed to protecting victims and communities from the scourge of vehicle thefts, and I am proud of our Auto Theft Unit's work on these complex cases," Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a statement.
According to the Colorado Attorney General's Office, Ruiz facilitated the theft and sale of vehicles from private citizens, commercial dealerships, and automotive repair shops as well as committing burglaries of several businesses, including ATMs, from multiple locations in the Denver metro area, Front Range and Denver International Airport.
"This defendant engaged in high-level criminal acts across the metro area and has now been held accountable," said District Attorney Brian Mason of the 17th Judicial District, Adams and Broomfield Counties in a statement. "Motor vehicle theft has long-lasting, serious impacts on victims and, as these cases prove, we're doing something about it. Indeed, because of collaboration and vigorous prosecutions such as these, motor vehicle thefts are finally coming down. I'm proud to join Attorney General Weiser and our other partners in addressing the serious problem of motor vehicle theft in Colorado."
