Four members of a Charlotte-based luxury car theft ring have been handed prison sentences after pleading guilty to stealing over 100 high-end vehicles across the United States, QC News reported. The theft operation, which ran from 2021 to 2023, specifically targeted dealerships carrying brands like Bentley, BMW, Cadillac, and Porsche.
The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina detailed that Dewanne Lamar White, 44, will serve 108 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Kevin Ja’Coryen James Fields, 28; Reginald Eugene Hill, 25; and Garyka Vaughn Bost, 26, received a range of sentences from 12 months and a day to 96 months in prison, followed by two or three years of supervised release, respectively, the Charlotte Observer stated. The group, which caused significant financial losses, deployed various strategies to commit their crimes, including swapping key fobs and "smash and grab" thefts.
In addition to the thefts,, the group engaged in altering the stolen vehicles' identity by removing GPS systems, switching out the authentic Vehicle Identification Numbers, and using counterfeit dealer tags or stolen license plates to help mask their crimes. These vehicles would end up in Charlotte where the group would sell them at heavily reduced prices, according to the prosecutors of the case.
Authorities from 11 states combined efforts in Operation SCARLET, a task force dedicated to clamping down on car dealership thefts. This coordinated operation recovered 132 stolen cars, valued at over $11 million, as per WSOCTV. The defendants, besides conspiracy charges; also faced additional individual charges related to their possession and transportation of the stolen vehicles.
White, aside from his conspiracy sentence, also pleaded guilty to possession of a stolen motor vehicle, while Fields admitted to interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle.
