DENHAM SPRINGS, La. (NEWS) — Christopher Byerley, 45, pleaded guilty to several charges related to his involvement in a theft ring that targeted heavy equipment across multiple states, the Department of Justice announced.
Byerley’s arrest for shoplifting at the Juban Crossing Shopping Mall in February 2022 led authorities to uncover a large-scale theft operation spanning Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas. Byerley admitted to participating in a conspiracy to transport stolen motor vehicles, including tractors, excavators, forklifts, and a pickup truck, with a total value exceeding $250,000.
The criminal operation, carried out with three co-conspirators, involved tampering with vehicle identification numbers (VINs), fraudulent documentation, and using stolen identities to evade law enforcement. The group operated a “chop shop” for disassembling stolen equipment, using GPS signal blockers, fake driver’s licenses, and other methods to conceal their activities.
A search of Byerley’s stolen pickup truck, which was part of his shoplifting arrest, uncovered evidence including emails, photos, text messages, and documents, leading investigators to expose the far-reaching scope of the theft ring.
Byerley was charged with conspiracy to transport a stolen motor vehicle, possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices, trafficking a firearm, receipt of a trafficked firearm, possession of an unregistered silencer, and altering or removing vehicle identification numbers.
The theft ring’s operation involved using over 400 stolen identities and fraudulent devices to hide their
