A member of a crime ring that stole more than $300,000 worth of automobiles and heavy equipment and traded them for methamphetamine has been convicted on four felony counts after a two-week trial in Durango.
Jaydee Russell, 41, of Bloomfield, N.M., participated in stealing vehicles from both Colorado and New Mexico, according to a release from the Colorado Attorney General’s office.
The conviction covers thefts during 2004 and 2005.
Russell was convicted of violating the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act, aggravated motor-vehicle theft, tampering with a witness and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.
He will be the subject of a habitual-criminal hearing before he is sentenced. If the court finds he is a habitual offender, he will be sentenced to three times the maximum penalty, or 72 years in total. If the sentences are levied consecutively, Russell could face 174 years in a state penitentiary.
