St. Louis is one of several cities around the country plagued by car theft. Now, one individual, a chop shop operator, faces prison time for assisting a gang in car theft. In addition, he could face a large fine for his crime. This is another example of “crime doesn’t pay,” particularly when it comes to long-term freedom.
Car theft is a major crime, and chop shops play a significant part
According to Fox 2 Now, Jorge Alberto Luviano-Martinez, 41, admitted on May 5th to aiding a gang in committing car theft. He did so specifically with his chop shop, which was located on the 2900 block of Cass Avenue in St. Louis. A chop shop is a place where thieves can take stolen cars and have them scrapped or altered in some way.
The Big Five gang is notorious for their involvement in car theft. Members of the group admitted on record to getting electronic keys from the chop shop owner to run stolen vehicles. They also claimed that his shop helped switch VINs on certain stolen autos. This information comes after investigators performed a search of the firm and discovered eight cars stolen on June 10, 2024. Notably, one of the autos had its VIN erased, while another had it replaced.
Before inspecting the chop shop and securing the warrant, authorities observed Jorge leaving the garage in a stolen Jeep. They attempted a traffic stop, but he escaped before being apprehended. The chop shop owner has now acknowledged his involvement in the automobile theft and faces up to 15 years in prison for running the chop shop. He might face a fine of up to $250,000. We set his sentencing date for August of this year, so this is a developing story.
