Eight Indicted in Stolen Motorcycle Ring Case

LONDON—A federal indictment which charges five Kentuckians and three Ohioans with crimes related to the sale of stolen motorcycles was unsealed late yesterday afternoon.

The indictment which was filed underseal August 11, charges Mark Justice, 52, of Ashland, Ky.; John C. Slusher, 58, of Pineville, Ky.; Robert Jason Chapman, 31, of Cleves, Ohio; George Ferguson, 63, of Ashland, Ky.; Richard D. Meade, 64, of Ashland, Ky.; Robert W. Harris, 60, of Newport, Ky.; Shon Fields, 33, of Cincinnati, Ohio; and Christina Bannigan, 31, of Cleves, Ohio with a money laundering conspiracy related to the interstate shipment of stolen vehicles.

The indictment also charges some of the defendants with money laundering and possessing stolen vehicle parts with the intent to sell them. In addition, Fields is charged with obstruction of justice and Harris is charged with lying to a federal law enforcement agency.

According to the indictment, the defendants altered or obliterated the vehicle identification numbers (VINs) from stolen motorcycles that include Harley Davidson. They then allegedly transferred the title of the motorcycles to others, before selling them, to conceal the fact that the they were stolen.

The indictment alleges that the conspiracy stretched from January 2000 until February 2008 and that most of the alleged criminal activity took place in Bell and Boyd Counties. The defendants profited $2.5 million from the conspiracy the indictment says.

Kerry B. Harvey, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Special Agent in Charge Michael A. Rodriguez, FBI Pittsburgh Division and FBI Charleston, W. Va.; Special Agent in Charge Elizabeth A. Fries, FBI Louisville Division; Rodney Brewer, Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police, Criminal Enterprise Task Force; Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, Ohio Bureau of Investigation and Ohio State Patrol; and NICB jointly made the announcement today.

The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the FBI, Kentucky State Police, OBI, NICB, and Ohio Patrol. The indictment was presented to the grand jury by Assistant United States Attorney Stephen C. Smith.

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. However, any sentence following a conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the United States Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of sentences.

The indictment of a person by a grand jury is an accusation only, and that person is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.