A high-level member of three Colorado car theft and burglary crime rings took a plea deal and was sentenced to 24 years in state prison Thursday, according to the Colorado Attorney General’s Office.
Across the three cases in Adams and Larimer counties, 24-year-old Rene Ruiz pleaded guilty to two counts of violating the Colorado Organized Crime Control act, three counts of first-degree aggravated motor vehicle theft, one count of theft of auto parts and one count of second-degree burglary, according to court records.
The plea deals dropped hundreds of charges of motor vehicle theft, vehicular eluding, auto parts theft and more from his case, according to court records.
Prosecutors said Ruiz’s 24-year prison sentence is one of the longest the attorney general’s office has secured in an organized motor vehicle theft case.
“We were able to investigate and break up three overlapping major auto theft rings that harmed many residents and businesses in Colorado,” Attorney General Phil Weiser stated in a news release. “… Stolen cars are often used to commit other crimes and threaten communities.”
The three crime rings together have stolen at least 365 cars worth more than $8.3 million total and between $53,000 and $78,000 worth of catalytic converters, according to the release.
“Motor vehicle theft impacts communities all across our state and can have massive repercussions on our residents, impacting victims’ ability to get to work, drop their kids off at school or get to medical services,” Eighth Judicial District Attorney Gordon McLaughlin stated in the release.
Ruiz helped steal and sell cars from private citizens, commercial dealerships and repair shops. He also burglarized several businesses — including ATMs — across the Denver area, Front Range and Denver International Airport, prosecutors said in the release.
Thursday’s sentencing comes as motor vehicle thefts have dropped significantly both statewide and in the Denver area so far this year, according to the latest data from the Colorado Metropolitan Auto Theft Task Force.
Vehicle thefts statewide dropped nearly 28% between September 2023 and September 2024, according to the task force. Car thefts have also dropped 30% during the same period in Denver and 55% at DIA.
Other members of the three crime rings are in custody and appearing in Adams County District Court and Larimer County District Court, according to Thursday’s news release.
