LoJack-Equipped Stolen Vehicle Leads Police to Bust Million Dollar Theft Ring Throughout Western Illinois and Greater Chicago Area
Multi-Agency Law Enforcement Theft Task Force Cracked Extensive, Highly Organized Network of Car Thieves; Recovered Vehicles, Tools, Drugs, Guns; Arrested Eight
WESTWOOD, Mass., May 9 -- LoJack Corporation , the leading provider of tracking and recovery systems for stolen mobile assets, today announced that a Corvette installed with a LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System was the key that helped crack an extensive, highly organized network of car thieves in Western Illinois and the Greater Chicago area. This ultimately led to the recovery of assets worth approximately one million dollars.
The investigation stemming from the LoJack recovery involved multiple law enforcement agencies. Together the agencies tracked down criminals who specialized in stealing high performance, "muscle cars" from auto dealerships and selling parts to buyers involved in the national auto racing industry and on the Internet. This million dollar bust included the recovery of 22 stolen vehicles, $30,000 in chop shop tools purchased with drug money and the discovery of illegal substances and guns. Eight arrests were made and two chop shops were dismantled.
"We're proud to have been an integral first step in helping law enforcement in Illinois crack this extensive network of professional car thieves," said Richard T. Riley, LoJack's President and COO. "We commend the Illinois law enforcement agencies on their ability to unite and form a powerful task force capable of tracking down these thieves and putting a stop to their many illegal activities."
How the Million Dollar Recovery Unfolded:
On March 21, while on an unrelated mission, an air unit from the Illinois State Police began receiving a silent LoJack signal on its LoJack Police Tracking Computer and tracked the vehicle to a residence in Grand Detour. At the scene, the Northern Illinois Auto Theft Task Force, Ogle County Sheriff's Office and Illinois State Police discovered the stolen Corvette, a second stolen Corvette, a Honda Shadow motorcycle, as well as other stolen vehicle parts. A suspect was then arrested and an investigation followed revealing that these three vehicle thefts were a small part of a large, professional auto theft group specializing in stealing muscle cars such as Ford Cobras, Dodge Vipers, Chevy Corvette Z06s and Ford F-250s with diesel engines. The group operated in Cook, DeKalb, DuPage and Kane counties in Illinois and took stolen vehicles to Chicago area chop shops.
Recognizing this theft network was extensive and widespread, the agencies quickly put together a joint multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force involving Kane-Cook Auto Theft Task Force (KCAT), DuPage County Auto Theft Task Force (BATTLE) and Northeast Metro Auto Theft Task Force (NEMAT), Westmont Police, Naperville Police, Highland Park Police, East Dundee Police and St. Charles Police. This new, united task force then targeted 10 highly organized professional auto thieves.
The task force searched a second property that was believed to be used by the theft ring. Inside the home, investigators located 23 pounds of marijuana, 20 guns, cash, a stolen Ford Mustang Cobra and more than $30,000 in chop shop tools that had been purchased with drug money. Police then learned that the Mustang was one of three Mustang Cobras stolen from the same dealership in one night.
Armed with information from the Mustang theft, the task force took a suspect into custody. The suspect has pled guilty to the theft of 20 vehicles, three arsons and more than 12 burglaries. The suspect also provided additional details on the theft ring, resulting in two additional searches. One search led to the recovery of a computer used to program Ford transponder keys that had been stolen from a dealership. The second search led police to a suspect who was driving a stolen Ford Cobra and had been previously arrested for possession of multiple stolen vehicles. Through these arrests, police were given permission to search other areas in which they located stolen trailers and vehicle parts.
The investigation is ongoing with additional arrests pending. About LoJack Corporation
LoJack Corporation, the company that invented and is the proven leader in the global stolen vehicle recovery market, leverages its superior technology, direct connection with law enforcement and proven processes to be the leader in tracking and recovering valuable mobile assets. The company's Stolen Vehicle Recovery System delivers a better than 90% success rate in tracking and recovering stolen cars and trucks and has helped recover more than $3 billion in global assets. LoJack systems are uniquely integrated into law enforcement agencies in the United States that use LoJack's in-vehicle tracking equipment to recover stolen assets, including cars, trucks, commercial vehicles, construction equipment and motorcycles. Today LoJack operates in 26 states and the District of Columbia, and in more than 25 countries throughout Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia. For more information, please visit http://www.lojack.com/.
