Ten Kansas City-Area Men Indicted for Nearly $1 Million Conspiracy to Steal Trucks and Trailers and Their Cargo

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Missouri
December 17, 2012

KANSAS CITY, MO—David M. Ketchmark, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that 10 Kansas City, Missouri-area men have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to steal nearly $1 million worth of trucks and trailers and their cargo.

Kenneth Ray Borders, 42; Christopher Dwight Turner, 44; Reginald Shawn Tidwell, 43; Harold Robertson, 55; Verdie Carr, Jr., 53; Ryonell Eugene Fredrick, 45; Michael O’Neal Foster, 54; and Myron Piggie, 51, all of Kansas City, Missouri; Jon Dirk Dickerson, 55, of Raytown, Missouri; and Kyle Wayne Dickerson, 30, of Holden, Missouri, were charged in a 25-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Missouri, on Friday, December 14, 2012. That indictment was unsealed and made public today upon the arrests and initial court appearances of several defendants.

The federal indictment alleges that all of the co-defendants participated in a conspiracy that involved the theft of commercial trucks and trailers and their cargo, such as stolen meat, beer, Nike shoes, electronics, appliances, and dog food. Borders, Tidwell, Turner, and Foster allegedly stole commercial tractor-trailers and their contents. John and Kyle Dickerson allegedly disguised and altered identifying characteristics of the stolen commercial trucks and trailers. Frederick, Robertson, and Piggie, who owns the MP Convenience Store in Kansas City, allegedly received the stolen cargo.

According to the indictment, conspiracy involved the thefts of five Freightliner trucks and 17 trailers between 2005 and 2011. The stolen trailers included refrigerated trailers containing such cargo as 39,000 pounds of meat, 565 boxes of beef valued at $149,790, $125,000 worth of frozen ribs, and several refrigerated trailers that each contained tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of frozen chicken, including a load of frozen chicken wings valued at $59,706. Also stolen were utility trailers containing such cargo as Budweiser beer valued at $16,657, Nike shoes valued at $217,353, and 21,018 pounds of Little Sizzler sausages.

The indictment also alleges that conspirators reused and disguised these commercial trucks and trailers through the use of false and fraudulent vehicle identification numbers, license plates, registration documents, carrier names, and other United States Department of Transportation certificates. Eventually, the indictment says, they disposed of these vehicles rather than maintain and repair them. Stolen trucks and trailers that had been dismantled were recovered from lots that were leased by the defendants.

In addition to the conspiracy, Borders, Jon Dickerson, and Kyle Dickerson are charged together in one count of aiding and abetting the possession of stolen vehicles that were transported across state lines.

Borders is charged with one count of transporting stolen goods across state lines and two counts of aiding and abetting the transportation of stolen goods across state lines.

Borders is charged with six counts of aiding and abetting the possession of stolen goods that were transported across state lines. Borders, Jon Dickerson, and Tidwell are charged together in one count and Jon and Kyle Dickerson are charged together in three counts of the same offense. Roberts is charged with one count of possessing stolen goods that were transported across state lines.

Kyle Dickerson is charged with one count of aiding and abetting the transportation of stolen vehicles across state lines. Kyle Dickerson is also charged with six counts of altering motor vehicle identification numbers.

Borders and Turner are charged together in three counts of aiding and abetting the altering of motor vehicle identification numbers.

The federal indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation, which would require the defendants to forfeit to the United States any property derived from the proceeds of the alleged conspiracy, including $991,234.

Ketchmark cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William L. Meiners. It was investigated by the Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General, the FBI, the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department, the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the National White-Collar Crime Center, the Mid-States Organized Crime Information Center, Travelers Investigative Services, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, CargoNet, and the U.S. Department of Transportation-Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.