David Duane Banchetto, 43, of Gastonia, N.C., is headed to federal prison for three years after being sentenced for a string of car break-ins at Pisgah National Forest. U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger handed down the 36-month sentence and ordered three years of supervised release, along with full restitution to victims for stolen property and vehicle repairs. The crime spree terrorized outdoor enthusiasts and exposed the vulnerability of public recreation areas to organized theft.
Banchetto wasn’t working alone. He was part of a five-person ring that targeted parked vehicles in the forest between late June and mid-July 2017, smashing windows and grabbing credit cards, debit cards, and cash. According to court records, the first wave of break-ins was reported June 29, 2017, with at least five vehicles hit in rapid succession. Surveillance footage from nearby businesses captured the suspects using stolen cards to buy goods, leaving a digital trail that law enforcement quickly followed.
The ring cracked open when a suspicious vehicle was reported in Pisgah National Forest on July 16, 2017. That same day, Banchetto and co-defendants Elija Antwon Hope, Heather Nicole Postell, Montzerrath Tello-Aguilar, and Kaleb Alexander Weaver were arrested. Investigators confirmed Banchetto was the one smashing car windows. He pleaded guilty on November 22, 2017, to destruction of property on national lands—a charge that carried weight under federal jurisdiction.
Tello-Aguilar already served six months in prison and two years supervised release. Hope, Postell, and Weaver are still awaiting sentencing. Judge Reidinger didn’t mince words at the hearing, calling the national forests and parks of Western North Carolina a “national treasure” and condemning crimes that scare the public away from enjoying public lands. “This isn’t just vandalism,” he said. “It’s an attack on shared civic space.”
In a separate but nearly identical case also ruled on today, Mack Blaine Whittle, 32, of Anderson, S.C., was sentenced to 33 months in prison and three years supervised release for car break-ins at Pisgah National Forest and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Whittle stole cash, debit cards, and even a firearm—despite a prior conviction barring him from possessing one. He tried and failed to pawn the gun. Lisha Nicole Minor, who admitted to helping Whittle by checking values of stolen items on her phone, was sentenced to 14 months in prison.
The Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) led both probes, with support from the U.S. Forest Service and Brevard Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Edwards prosecuted both cases. U.S. Attorney R. Andrew Murray emphasized that federal and local agencies are drawing a line: “National forests aren’t crime zones. We’ll prosecute anyone who treats them like one.”
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Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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