Eight Westminster residents were indicted after a year-long grand jury investigation into an auto-theft ring that stole about 350 vehicles, authorities said Thursday.
The suspects are in custody, each on $75,000 bail, and charged with violating the state’s Organized Crime Control Act, Colorado Attorney General John Suthers said.
“These eight indictments demonstrate what cooperation among law enforcement agencies can accomplish,” Suthers said in a statement.
Those indicted included members of at least two families and their friends, who all lived near one another, Suthers spokesman Nate Strauch said.
The indictment names Ma Lee, 28; Dennis Godbolt, 25; Tony Lo, 26; Kou Lo, 22; Jason Cheng, 21; Lu Vang, 33; Thong Lor, 26; and Kong Lor, 19, as charged with violating the organized-crime act, according to a news release. Ma Lee and Kou Lo also were charged with theft by receiving, a Class 4 felony.
The suspects ran a theft ring that was active in the Denver area and Fort Collins from August 2005 to last May, authorities said. The proceeds from the sale of stolen auto parts and car stereos were used to fund the suspects’ methamphetamine habits, authorities said.
Investigators declined to reveal further details but said there may be additional arrests.
“They did not focus on any certain type of car; it was more crimes of opportunity,” Strauch said.
The Adams County District Attorney’s Office will be prosecuting the cases with assistance from the attorney general’s office.
Staff writer Manny Gonzales can be reached at 303-954-1537 or mgonzales@denverpost.com.
