According to officials, two males from North Carolina have acknowledged stealing and reselling expensive automobiles and SUVs valued at millions of dollars around the United States, including South Carolina.
According to them, a few of the cars were taken from the Charlotte airport.
Both Charlotte residents, Andre Lamar Sumner, 41, and Erren Woodson, 40, appeared in federal court and pled guilty to their separate roles in the multi-million dollar theft ring, according to the office of Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Sumner entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to violate federal law, which included altering VINs, shipping and possessing stolen automobiles in interstate commerce, and possessing a stolen vehicle, according to court remarks and filed documents.
“Between 2022 and 2024, Sumner and his co-conspirators engaged in a scheme to buy and sell high-end motor vehicles that were stolen from car dealerships, rental car companies, and private parties across the United States, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Missouri,” officials stated.
According to authorities, Sumner acted as a “fence” in the plot, coordinating the purchase and sale of the pilfered cars. Someone who helps locate or engage with buyers for properties that have been stolen is known as a fence.
Sumner tried to fence luxury cars including BMW, Land Rover, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, and Rolls-Royce, as well as trucks and other pricey models from Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, and RAM, in order to increase revenues. Sumner and his accomplices were in possession of stolen cars valued at over $2 million, according to court records.
Court documents show that Sumner sold the stolen autos to purchasers at prices much lower than their fair market values.
Sumner said that he and others routinely changed the stolen vehicles’ original VINs and falsely registered the stolen vehicles with multiple state motor vehicle agencies in order to evade detection and increase the resale value of the vehicles.
According to records, Woodson, one of Sumner’s co-conspirators, entered a guilty plea on October 18 to conspiracy and possession of a stolen car.
According to court records, Woodson would buy stolen cars from Sumner and kept in touch with Sumner on a regular basis to discuss prices for the stolen cars as well as the inventory of stolen cars that were available and possible customers.
Sumner and Woodson both entered guilty pleas to possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.
The defendants’ involvement in marijuana trafficking, which was partially financed by the stolen vehicle scam, is documented in court documents.
Terrick D. Lumpkin, 39, of Charlotte, entered a guilty plea Thursday to conspiracy to violate federal law, including shipping and possessing vehicles in interstate commerce and altering VIN numbers, according to officials in a different case involving luxury stolen cars. In addition, Lumpkin entered a guilty plea to possessing a stolen car.
According to authorities, Lumpkin and other conspirators stole and owned premium and high-end car models valued at more than $1 million between November 2023 and January 2024. In North Carolina, Illinois, and New York, among other places across the United States, he and his accomplices acquired stolen automobiles.
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According to authorities, Lumpkin also owned a number of cars that were stolen from Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
Lumpkin and others mostly targeted luxury cars from Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Lamborghini, and Mercedes, as well as sports utility vehicles and other pricey models from Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, GMC, and Jeep, according to court filings. Lumpkin and his accomplices changed or deleted the vehicles’ VINs after obtaining the stolen cars in order to evade law enforcement’s notice.
According to officials, all three accused are currently free on bond.
Lumpkin faces a maximum of 15 years in jail, while Sumner and Woodson face a maximum of 20 years.
