CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Two people pleaded guilty to charges involving the interstate transport of stolen property, arising from a scheme to obtain vehicles totaling $172,950 in approximate value from car dealerships in Kentucky and West Virginia.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Millard Patrick, 52, and Mindy Turner, 51, admitted that Turner passed a bad check at a Louisville, Kentucky, dealership in June 2021 so they could obtain a 2020 Ford Explorer with an approximate value of $53,500. The two then transported that vehicle to West Virginia, where they unsuccessfully attempted to trade it in at a Charleston dealership for a more expensive Ford F-250.
Patrick admitted that he told an employee at the Charleston dealership that he worked for the United States Marshal Service, which he said would deliver a check in two days to pay for the trade-in. Patrick asked the employee to hold a personal check as collateral in the meantime. Patrick admitted that he told the employee not to be alarmed if an armed deputy U.S. Marshal appeared at the dealership to give him the check.
Turner and Patrick admitted that they passed another bad check at a Hurricane dealership in July 2021 to obtain a Jeep Cherokee with an approximate value of $60,056.22. The following day, the pair passed a bad check at a Ripley dealership to obtain a new Ford Explorer with an approximate value of $59,393.48. That same day, Patrick and Turner attempted to obtain a Ford F-150 with an approximate value of $64,108.24 from a Hurricane dealership. They were turned away when the bad check did not clear.
Patrick and Turner both pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the interstate transport of stolen property. Turner is scheduled to be sentenced on July 28, 2022. Patrick is scheduled to be sentenced on August 4, 2022. Each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement, commending the FBI for conducting the investigation and the Charleston Police Department, the Hurricane Police Department, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Louisville Police Department for their assistance in the investigation.
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearings. Assistant United States Attorneys Negar M. Kordestani is prosecuting the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-18.
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