Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Motorcycle Theft Ring

A Lee County, Florida man pleaded guilty for his involvement in a string of motorcycle thefts, according to state Attorney General Bill McCollum.

Christian Torres Lopez, 28, will be sentenced for his participation in the theft ring operating in Southwest Florida, McCollum said.

Lopez was a member of the motorcycle theft ring which was responsible for a series of thefts from Sarasota County to Collier County, McCollum reported. The investigation into the thefts began when a LoJack signal was received from a motorcycle that had been reported stolen from Sarasota, the AG added.

Detectives with the Grand Theft Auto Unit of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office tracked the signal to a warehouse that housed a motorcycle repair shop operated by Lopez, sparking the wide-ranging investigation into the theft ring, according to McCollum.

Over the course of the investigation, detectives videotaped a co-conspirator transporting the stolen bikes back to the house of a reported ring leader, who had recruited him to participate in the thefts and eventual sales of the stolen bikes, McCollum said.

Lopez was arrested in October 2007. He pleaded guilty May 19 and could face up to six months in jail, four years of probation, and restitution payments of up to $11,000 when sentenced at a later date, said McCollum.

Source: Office of the Attorney General of Florida