CENTENNIAL | Several people have been indicted for their roles in an alleged criminal scheme where suspects bought luxury cars under stolen identities and then used the illegally-purchased vehicles to commit robberies in the metro Denver area.
Convenience stores in Aurora, Denver and Thornton were robbed by the group, while the identities of four other people were reportedly stolen and used to obtain cars manufactured by Mercedes-Benz, Audi and BMW, along with other vehicles. Members of the group also tried to murder two people, according to the grand jury indictment.
18th Judicial District Attorney John Kellner and law enforcement officials announced the charges Wednesday at a news conference where they acknowledged the trail of victims whose identities and cars were stolen and who were robbed at gunpoint.
“This criminal enterprise wreaked havoc on our community,” Kellner said Wednesday. “They terrorized innocent convenience store clerks who had guns pointed in their faces, and we’re talking about seven different robberies that we have linked to this group.”
Defendants were indicted for racketeering under the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act as well as a host of other charges related to fraud, theft and violence. They are:
- Emmazetta Chargingcrow
- Omari Davis
- Jadeen Hollumn
- Tavarious Robinson
- Kaile Stevens
- Keandre Stevens
The group was described as “friends and family members” in a news release from the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Aggravated motor vehicle theft, aggravated robbery, identity theft, forgery, kidnapping and attempted murder are among the charges included in the 54-count indictment, which was filed Oct. 7.
According to the indictment, police became aware of the group in August 2021, after they responded to a car crash and found an abandoned Mercedes GLC300 containing a rifle, bullet casings, jewelry with a card that identified one of the suspects and mail belonging to two people whose identities were stolen.
The Mercedes was registered to one of those victims without their knowledge. The victim told investigators her own car had been broken into in June 2021, with a wallet and checkbook taken. Police used the mail to track down another victim and eventually uncovered the complex identity theft and robbery scheme.
Aurora Police Department interim chief Dan Oates lamented the phenomenon of stolen cars being used in the commission of other crimes, saying the majority of violent crimes in the city involve a stolen car. He called the ring “very sophisticated.”
“This started with stolen autos. It ended with very violent robberies,” he said. “We are finding every day that, easily, more than 50% of our violent crime that’s been happening in Aurora starts with a stolen car.”
He and Kellner, who is running for Colorado Attorney General, expressed a desire to lobby the state for harsher penalties around car theft, with Kellner saying he believed all car thefts should be felonies, with a mandatory minimum prison term for repeat offenders.
“What this grand jury indictment highlights is the interconnectedness of crime. It’s not just property crime. It’s not just stolen identities. These things are brought together by criminal enterprises to do much worse,” Kellner said.
He also recognized the contributions of the FBI and Colorado Department of Revenue to securing the indictments.
Bond was set at between $250,000 and $750,000 for each of the defendants. As of Wednesday, only Chargingcrow was out on bond, according to a press release from the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
Yea and what is the biggest city problem complaint filed? Here’s the news, its parking of abandoned vehicles. So these vehicles sit on the streets to be vandalized further on the dumping grounds in north Aurora. Nothing like going by a obvious vehicle on your street, that sits and little city response. There is so much of it. This story is just more of how unlawful thieving is into so much other crime. A car is the main tool to the crime. This gang just liked classy expensive cars.
https://www.auroragov.org/city_hall/contact_us
Doug, you most likely are not aware but the city has for some time subcontracted the parking enforcement out to a private company. The company has had three cars on the Aurora streets to enforce parking. And Doug, we pay dearly for this three car enforcement team that does the whole city. Council Marcano, and Combs are on the transportation committee that is to have proper information on these contracts, do they really understand what is going on in the city? SP Plus, look at their earnings, they have super returns on these city contracts. But, the city tells us it saves us lots of money to do it this way. Any one in Aurora that has watched the comments at city council meetings, on here, or Nextdoor neighbors are always posting pictures, and sees unlawful parking is the highest complaint category in the city. The city is about, the worst place to go for help, and that’s your only option. By the way, this same company has six cars in the city of Los Angeles doing the same thing. In NYC parking illegally, the cops absolutely lay down the law, they tow your car, and strictly mean business about no-parking rules. They will not tolerate cars parked and abandoned.
https://ir.spplus.com/news-releases/news-release-details/sp-plus-corporation-announces-second-quarter-2022-results
Mandatory jail time for REPEAT offenders? No! Immediate jail time
It would appear that in this case, immediate incarceration awaiting trail with a speedy trial as well should be the way it’s handled.
‘The victim told investigators her own car had been broken into in June 2021, with a wallet and checkbook taken.”
Well, DUH!!
With guns involved, why is anyone out on bail??
“Bond was set at between $250,000 and $750,000 for each of the defendants. As of Wednesday, only Chargingcrow was out on bond, according to a press release from the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.”
Aurora’s best people – NOT