Alleged Car Thief Indicted On Federal Charges Appears In Court Publisher: U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of North Carolina Dateline: Charlotte, North Carolina Date: 24 July 2024 Subjects: American Government , Crime

Several Vehicles Were Stolen from Charlotte Douglas International Airport

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – An alleged car thief facing federal charges appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge David C. Keesler today for his initial court appearance, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.

A criminal indictment charges Terrick D. Lumpkin, 38, of Charlotte, with one count of conspiracy to transport, possess, and sell a stolen vehicle and to remove, obliterate, tamper with, and alter a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN); two counts of possession of a stolen vehicle; and two counts of altering or removing a VIN. The indictment was filed on July 16, 2024, and was unsealed today following Lumpkin’s arrest and court appearance.

The indictment alleges that, between November 2023 and January 2024, Lumpkin engaged in a conspiracy to steal and possess high-end motor vehicles worth more than one million dollars. As alleged in the indictment, Lumpkin and his co-conspirators obtained stolen vehicles from various locations throughout United States, including in Charlotte, North Carolina, Illinois, and New York. It is further alleged that several of the vehicles possessed by Lumpkin were stolen from the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Lumpkin and others sought to obtain high-end vehicles made by Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Lamborghini and Mercedes, as well as sports utility vehicles, and other expensive models from Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, GMC, and Jeep.

According to allegations in the indictment, once in possession of the stolen vehicles, Lumpkin and his co-conspirators regularly altered or tampered with the stolen vehicles’ original VINs to avoid detection by law enforcement.

Lumpkin was released on bond following today’s court hearing. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of five years. Each charge of possession of a stolen vehicle carries a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The charge of altering or removing a VIN carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

This is the fourth indictment filed in the U.S. District Court in Charlotte related to trafficking in stolen vehicles. In March 2023, two individuals were charged for a scheme that involved buying and selling stolen vehicles. In August 2023, five individuals were indicted for stealing luxury vehicles from dealerships throughout the United States, and two additional individuals were indicted in November 2023, for orchestrating high-end auto thefts from businesses in South Carolina.

U.S. Attorney King thanked the FBI and CMPD for their investigation of the case. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys William Bozin and Daniel Ryan of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte are prosecuting the case. 

Updated July 24, 2024