Twenty three individuals, including nine from Wisconsin, have been indicted in federal court for their roles in a national car theft ring that included thefts from the Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport.
READ ALSO: 'It’s terrible, you feel violated,' 20 high-end cars stolen from Mitchell Airport in last year
According to court records, between approximately January 2019 and February 2024, members of the alleged theft ring stole and directed others to steal motor vehicles, transported and arranged for the transportation of stolen vehicles across the nation, created front companies, altered vehicle identification numbers, made fake motor vehicle titles, registered stolen vehicles using those fake motor vehicle titles, and sold those vehicles to others for money and drugs.
This investigation tied more than 175 stolen cars, many of which were new and “high end” to the ring. Some of the vehicles were stolen from airports, including Milwaukee’s General Mitchell International Airport, car dealerships, and car manufacturer’s assembly plants.
“The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office was proud to be a partner in this endeavor from its inception, with deputy sheriffs and detectives from this agency playing a key role in identifying and capturing members of this crime ring,” said Sheriff Denita R. Ball. “As stated by others, this was not just a ring of car thieves. This group took advantage of innocent people and turned lives upside down. Their actions were calculated and callous. And now they will face the justice they deserve.”
All 23 defendants are charged with conspiring to violate various laws of the United States, including conspiring to receive, transport, and sell stolen vehicles; remove, obliterate, or tamper with motor vehicle identification numbers; and produce and transfer false and fraudulent titles for stolen vehicles. If convicted of the conspiracy charge, each defendant would face up to 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Twenty-one of the 23 defendants are also charged with interstate transportation of stolen vehicles or the receipt, possession, concealment, or sale of stolen motor vehicles that traveled in interstate commerce. If convicted of one of these charges, each defendant would face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Diaunte Shields, Brandon Mullins, and Nakiya Wright are also charged with the use of interstate commerce to transmit and transfer fictitious obligations or the presentation or offer of fictitious obligations. If convicted of one of these charges, each defendant would face up to 25 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Shields and Lashawn Davis, Jr. are also charged with drug trafficking crimes. If convicted of one of these charges, they would face mandatory minimum terms of 10 years and up to life in prison.
Wright is also charged with aggravated identity theft and, if convicted, would face a mandatory term of 2 years in prison.
Shields, Wright and Casha Griffin also are charged with conspiring to violate federal money laundering laws, and if convicted of that offense, each of them would face a maximum term of 20 years in prison and up to a $500,000 fine, or twice the value of the property involved.
The 23 people charged are:
- Diaunte D. Shields of Wisconsin
- Esteban Cardenas of Wisconsin
- Lashawn Davis, Jr. of Wisconsin
- Nakiya Wright of Wisconsin
- Brianna Shields of Wisconsin
- Gerrica Baker of Wisconsin
- Tashawn Brown-Smith of Wisconsin
- Chaz Holifield of Wisconsin
- Meliek McClarn of Wisconsin
- Kenneth Kilson of Delaware
- Vashawn Milton of Georgia
- Geoffrey Harvey of Georgia
- Willie Bullard of Georgia
- Brandon Mullins of Georgia
- Casha Griffin of Illinois
- Dequas Crawford-Higgs of Illinois
- Ja Lean Little of Illinois
- Deamonte Lee of Illinois
- Glenn Larsen of Illinois
- Deon Brooks of Michigan
- Tashay Northern of North Dakota
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