LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. — A high-level member of an organized auto theft and burglary crime ring in Colorado was sentenced to 24 years in prison – the longest sentence ever secured by the state attorney general for these types of crimes, a spokesperson said in a news release Thursday.
Rene Ruiz, 24, was sentenced by a Larimer County District Court judge in connection with three separate cases – two in Adams County and one in Larimer County.
Per court records, prosecutors alleged Ruiz helped sell vehicles the ring stole from people, dealerships, and car repair shops and committed burglaries of several businesses, including ATMs, from multiple locations across the Denver area, the Front Range and Denver International Airport (DIA) by frequently using “sophisticated programming devices to defeat anti-theft features on vehicles,” according to the release.
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Prosecutors also alleged Ruiz also helped coordinate the sale of cars to illegally shipped out of the country. Additionally, prosecutors said Ruiz eluded law enforcement and placed officers in danger of serious injury during motor vehicle thefts.
A spokesperson with the Colorado Attorney General’s Office said Thursday that across all three cases brought against the crime ring, the suspects are believed to have stolen at least 365 vehicles, “scores of catalytic converters” and firearms. In all, the value of the stolen cars amounts to more than $8.3 million, while the amount of stolen catalytic converters is estimated to be between $53,000 to $78,000.
Ruiz pleaded guilty to one count each of racketeering under the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act, first-degree aggravated motor vehicle theft, and theft of auto parts in the Larimer County case. He also pleaded guilty to one count each of first-degree aggravated motor vehicle theft and second-degree burglary in one of the Adams County cases. In the third case – also in Adams County – Ruiz pleaded guilty to an additional count of violation of Colorado Organized Crime Control Act and first-degree aggravated motor vehicle theft.
The 24-year sentence, the spokesperson from the AG’s office said, “is one of the longest the attorney general’s office has secured in an organized motor vehicle theft case.”
Thursday’s sentencing comes as car thefts have dropped nearly a third statewide as well as in the Denver area this year, per the latest data from the Colorado Metropolitan Auto Theft Task Force, also known as C-MATT.
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Per the AG’s office, C-MATT data shows that as of Sept. 11, there were 17,164 car thefts statewide in 2024 compared to 23,988 during the same time in 2023, a 28% decrease. The data also showed that there were 11,904 car thefts in the Denver area in 2024 compared to 17,118 during the same in 2023, a 30% decrease.
Most strikingly? Car thefts at DIA are down 55%, with 242 car thefts so far this year compared to 544 at this same time last year, according to C-MATT data.
The spokesperson for the Colorado AG’s Office said other suspects tied to this crime ring are in custody while their cases move through district court both in Adams and Larimer County.
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