St. Louis Woman Repeatedly Caught with Stolen Vehicles Admits Running Chop Shop

ST. LOUIS – A woman from St. Louis, Missouri who was repeatedly caught with stolen vehicles pleaded guilty to federal charges Monday.

As part of her guilty plea, Heather Marty, 28, admitted that she was living in a warehouse in the 2900 block of North Jefferson Avenue that was being used to house, store and disassemble stolen vehicles. St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers and detectives found a total of 12 stolen vehicles over a seven-month period in or near the building, including three motorcycles, five pickup trucks, three cars and one SUV, Marty’s plea agreement says.

On Oct. 30, 2021, police found a stolen 2007 Yamaha motorcycle in front of the warehouse. Marty refused to allow police inside the building.

On Nov. 18, 2021, officers noticed a stolen 2009 Ford Ranger parked in front of the warehouse, with a 2004 Ford F-450 nearby that had been stolen that morning. Inside the building, they found more stolen vehicles in various stages of disassembly: a 2009 Pontiac G6, a 2006 Ford F-350, a 2000 Ford Excursion, a 2011 Dodge Ram and a 2016 Honda motorcycle, the plea says. 

On Jan. 29, 2022, Marty was spotted at the Casino Queen in East St. Louis in a 2014 Dodge Ram that had been stolen 23 days earlier. She was arrested. Inside the truck, a detective found nine license plates, two of which belonged to stolen vehicles. 

An investigation revealed that in the week before her arrest, Marty had been in the area of four thefts and one attempted theft of catalytic converters, as well as four burglaries and an auto theft.

On June 20, 2022, Marty was caught at the warehouse in a pickup that had a stolen 2022 KTM Duke motorcycle in the truck bed.

On July 13, 2022, a detective found one stolen truck and two stolen cars in the warehouse that were being disassembled.

Marty pleaded guilty Monday in front of U.S. District Judge John A. Ross to one count of transportation of a stolen vehicle and one count of operating a chop shop.

At her September 19 sentencing, Marty faces up to 10 years in prison for the stolen vehicle charge and up to 15 years in prison on the chop shop charge, a $250,000 fine for each count, or both prison and a fine. She will also be ordered to pay restitution to victims.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ware is prosecuting the case.