Atlanta Man Sentenced in Federal Court in Louisiana to Prison in Connection with Role in Vehicle Theft Ring

New Orleans, Louisiana – An Atlanta man has been sentenced in a Federal Court in Louisiana to prison in connection with his role in a vehicle theft ring.

On March 28, 2023, U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Keinan Chapman (“Chapman”), age 39, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced on March 23, 2023, for conspiring to transport and sell stolen vehicles in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371.

Chapman and his co-conspirators, according to court filings, stole cars from car dealerships and rental car facilities in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. After the cars were taken, Chapman and his co-conspirators retitled them with the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles using fraudulent Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINS). The defendants resold the cars at a discount to customers in the New Orleans metro area after they were retitled and cloned with bogus VINs.

Chapman was sentenced to 57 months (4 years, 9 months) in prison, followed by three (3) years of supervised release, by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Nanette Jolivette Brown, who also assessed a $100 obligatory special assessment charge. In addition, the judge scheduled a restitution hearing in this case for June 15, 2023.

U.S. Attorney Evans applauded the investigation efforts of the Department of Homeland Security, the Louisiana State Police, the D’Iberville Police Department, and the New Orleans Police Department. The prosecution is led by Assistant United States Attorneys Spiro G. Latsis and Jon Maestri of the General Crimes Section.

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