DAYTON, Ohio — A Cincinnati man has pleaded guilty to federal charges tied to accusations that he knowingly ran a chop shop and facilitated a multi-state car theft ring, according to the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of Ohio.
Kahrese Tracey Scott Lee, 28, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to transport stolen vehicles in interstate commerce and to knowingly operating a chop shop. He could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.
Federal officials said the "chop shop conspiracy" netted around $1.5 million during its operation between at least October 2023 and October 2024. Lee, who also went by "Reese Lee" and "Bennett Jones" was charged along with six others connected to the stolen car ring.
Federal officials said Lee operated a garage in Dayton and received dozens of stolen vehicles. Prosecutors allege that in May of 2024 alone, Lee's Dayton chop shop housed over $500,000 in stolen vehicles and parts.
While Lee predominantly disassembled stolen vehicles for their parts for resale or placement in another vehicle, he also occasionally stole vehicles himself, federal officials said. Sometimes he worked with others.
"During one planned theft incident, Lee and others traveled from Ohio to Indiana, where they stole three vehicles valued at more than $200,000 from an auto lot," reads the announcement from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Law enforcement discovered Lee and others with those stolen vehicles in Alabama, where prosecutors say Lee planned to establish a new garage. Officers took the vehicles and returned them to the Indiana dealership — but prosecutors say Lee and his accomplices placed a tracking device on one of the stolen cars.
Lee traveled back to Indiana to the same dealership and tried to steal that car again, but police caught him, prosecutors said.
