4 Sentenced in Charlotte Luxury Car Theft Ring That Stole Porsches, Bentleys Nationwide 🚔
In a significant victory for law enforcement, four men have been sentenced for their roles in a Charlotte-based luxury car theft ring responsible for stealing over 100 high-end vehicles—including Porsches, Bentleys, and Land Rovers—valued at over $10 million. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina announced the sentences on Thursday, marking the culmination of a two-year investigation into one of the region’s most sophisticated car theft operations.
Operating between 2021 and 2023, the group targeted dealerships across 13 states, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, and New York, causing significant financial and operational strain on the automotive industry.
A Sophisticated Scheme
The ring deployed various tactics to steal vehicles, ranging from strategic key fob swaps during test drives to smash-and-grab burglaries. Court documents detail how the group bypassed security measures and exploited dealership vulnerabilities:
- Key Fob Swaps: Ring members swapped key fobs with duplicates while pretending to inspect vehicles during test drives. They later returned to the dealership and used the stolen fobs to drive the cars off the lot.
- Smash-and-Grab Thefts: During nighttime burglaries, they broke into dealership offices to retrieve keys, often damaging property and bypassing alarms.
- GPS Removal: After stealing vehicles, the group immediately disabled GPS tracking devices, making recovery nearly impossible for law enforcement.
- Fake Tags and VIN Alteration: The thieves affixed counterfeit dealer tags and altered or removed vehicle identification numbers (VINs) to conceal the cars’ origins.
Who Was Involved?
The defendants, all residents of the Carolinas, played key roles in the operation:
- Dewanne Lamar White (44, Sumter, SC): The leader and financier of the operation. White coordinated thefts, paid drivers, and handled the resale of stolen cars. He received the longest sentence—nine years—for his central role.
- Kevin Ja’Coryen James Fields (28, Charlotte): Acted as a key driver and participant in transporting stolen vehicles. Fields was sentenced to eight years.
- Reginald Eugene Hill (25, Charlotte): Involved in vehicle theft and transportation, Hill received a five-year sentence.
- Garyka Vaughn Bost (26, Denver, NC): A lower-level participant who drove vehicles in some operations, Bost was sentenced to one year.
Wide-Reaching Impact
The thefts caused millions of dollars in losses, with individual thefts sometimes resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages. Prosecutors revealed the group often targeted multiple vehicles in a single operation.
Dealerships in North Carolina and South Carolina were particularly hard hit, with major thefts also reported in Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania. The group even expanded its operations to states as far away as Arizona.
Despite their elaborate methods, the group’s actions attracted attention due to the sheer volume and value of the stolen vehicles, which included luxury models from brands such as BMW, Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, and Land Rover.
Breaking the Ring: A Collaborative Effort
The case was cracked through the combined efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies:
- Homeland Security Investigations (HSI): Led the federal investigation and provided critical resources for tracking stolen vehicles.
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): Assisted with interstate crime coordination and data analysis.
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD): Played a central role in apprehending suspects and uncovering local thefts.
- York County, SC Sheriff’s Office: Contributed to tracking stolen vehicles that crossed state lines.
U.S. Attorney Dena King credited the collaboration of these agencies, stating, “The cooperative efforts of law enforcement dismantled a criminal enterprise that affected businesses and communities across the country.”
Sentencing and What It Means
Sentences ranged from one to nine years, reflecting the roles of each defendant in the operation. In addition to prison time, the defendants face substantial restitution orders to compensate affected dealerships.
While this case marks a significant step in curbing auto theft rings, experts warn that similar operations remain a threat. “These individuals exploited systemic vulnerabilities, but this case is a reminder of what law enforcement can achieve through persistence and cooperation,” King said.
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Jack Beckett
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