KENOSHA — What started with a single license plate found along a Kenosha County highway has now led to federal indictments against 23 people accused of running a multi-million dollar car theft and money laundering ring.
According to the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office, deputies first recovered the plate in 2022, discovering it belonged to a stolen Dodge Hellcat. That tip launched a three-year investigation, spanning Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and beyond.
Watch: From one license plate to 23 federal charges: Kenosha deputies help bust interstate car theft ring
“That deputy just went to pick up some license plates, he runs it out — Hellcat, big money, car stolen. Within six weeks, they’re banging six doors down, six search warrants," Sheriff Zoerner said. "The tenacity of these detectives and these young deputies was just phenomenal."
Investigators say the suspects stole high-end cars from homes and Milwaukee’s airport, then used professional-grade tools to alter vehicle identification numbers before selling them across the country. The money was funneled into fake businesses and real estate deals.
“All that is horrible, losing all these vehicles, the victims, people work for their money and want to possess what they pay for but the drugs," Sheriff Zoerner said. "Once we seized kilos and fentanyl, large quantities of methamphetamine, that’s where we might be saving lives right now."
In total, the investigation, led by the Kenosha County Drug Operations Group (KDOG) — involved the FBI, IRS-Criminal Investigations, the National Insurance Crime Bureau, and multiple local police departments.
No additional details about the suspects’ court appearances or potential sentences have been released yet. The sheriff’s office says the investigation remains active and more charges could be filed.
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