Eight Arrested in Colorado Million Dollar Bicycle Crime Ring
A grand jury has indicted eight people believed to be involved in a million dollar bicycle crime ring in Colorado. They are facing a combined 227 counts ranging from theft to burglary. They are accused of 29 bike shop burglaries and 22 auto thefts between December 2019 and June 2020.
Attorney General Phil Weiser charged eight individuals:
- Kevin Acosta-Larkin,
- Austin Butler,
- Gerald Garcia,
- Maurice Leday,
- Gregory Melina,
- Salvador Mena-Barreno,
- Jason Quijada,
- and Adrian Rocha-Chairez.
According to court documents, the group planned their crimes through Facebook Messenger. They would often steal U-Haul box trucks, break into bicycle shops and take high-end goods. The stolen bikes were then allegedly sold out of state or possibly Mexico.
The group is accused of stealing $985,000 worth of bicycles, $258,000 worth of vehicles and causing $231,837 worth of property damage to vehicles and businesses.
“A million dollars isn’t even scratching the surface in my opinion. I would guess there’s a lot more that’s happened beyond that we’ve never even gotten to the bottom of,” Justin Mattison told FOX31.
