Maryland Man Pleads Guilty in Stolen Vehicle Smuggling Ring

PITTSBURGH – A Maryland resident has pleaded guilty in federal court for his role in a sophisticated scheme to steal and transport motorcycles and tractors across state lines. Rodney D. Deminds, Jr., 23, from Belcamp, Md., admitted to participating in the transportation of stolen motor vehicles, according to United States Attorney David J. Hickton.

Deminds, along with Harvey Leemore, Collin D. Powell, and Trea C. Powell, and at least one other individual, orchestrated a series of thefts from dealerships in Gibsonia, Ebensburg, Gaines, Altoona, Pa., and Purcellville, Va. The stolen property, valued at over $200,000, was transported back to Baltimore for sale.

The United States District Judge Terrence F. McVerry heard Deminds’s guilty plea on one count of conspiracy to transport stolen motor vehicles across state lines. Sentencing is scheduled for August 15, 2013, at 10:30 a.m. The defendant could face up to five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both.

Assistant United States Attorney Shaun E. Sweeney is handling the prosecution on behalf of the government. An extensive investigation by the Pennsylvania State Police, Western PA Auto Theft Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and detectives from Harford County, Maryland, led to Deminds’s arrest.

Judge McVerry emphasized that the sentence imposed will be based on the seriousness of the offense and the defendant’s criminal history. The court advises that the actual sentence may vary from the statutory maximums.

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