Weld County auto theft ring leader faces over 40 years in prison after plea
DENVER (KDVR) — Four people have been indicted on charges related to two auto theft rings that investigators say were in operation during 2021, resulting in at least 60 stolen cars.
Prosecutors say that a woman named in both indictments and alleged to be their ring leader will be sentenced in May after she pleaded guilty to 47 charges related to the indictments earlier this month.
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According to investigators, the large-scale auto theft rings the suspects operated in 2021 by and large targeted Kia and Hyundai cars. These brands have been targets for thieves due to many new Kia and Hyundai models lacking an anti-theft device called an immobilizer, an issue that was shared with possible criminals through an online trend showing how to bypass the vehicles’ security measures.
Two defendants, Amanda Johnson and Jose Luis Pizarro, were initially indicted in July 2022 by a Weld County Grand Jury for allegedly stealing 10 cars from several car dealerships in Weld and Larimer counties in 2021, according to the 19th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. According to officials, Johnson was the ring leader of the operation.
In that indictment, both Johnson and Pizarro were charged with over 50 felony charges related to the auto theft scheme, including one count each of violation of the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act. Investigators say the pair would use fake driver’s licenses to test drive vehicles at northern Colorado car dealerships, then never return the car.
The pair would sell each vehicle online for only a few hundred dollars, according to the district attorney. The stolen vehicles’ values totaled nearly $180,000.
In September 2022, another Weld County indictment named Johnson, alongside Hector Rivera and Ryan Yarwood. The trio were indicted on nearly 150 counts related to stealing 50 cars from Weld County in 2021. In addition, all three were charged under the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act.
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According to investigators, the trio were part of a large-scale drug distribution ring led by Johnson and sold vehicles for as little as $200.
In March, Pizarro pled guilty to several charges and was sentenced to 21 years in the Department of Corrections. Earlier this month, both Rivera and Yarwood entered guilty pleas. Rivera was sentenced to 18 years in the Department of Corrections and Yarwood was sentenced to 20 years.
Johnson pled guilty to 47 charges and is facing up to 48 years in the Department of Corrections. She is scheduled to be sentenced on May 31.
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