DENHAM SPRINGS - A man whose shoplifting arrest at Juban Crossing Shopping Mall in February 2022 led to officials uncovering a theft ring targeting heavy equipment across several parishes pleaded guilty to multiple charges, the Department of Justice said.

Christopher Byerley, 45, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport a stolen motor vehicle, possession of fifteen or more unauthorized access devices, conspiracy to trafficking a firearm and receipt of a trafficked firearm, possession of an unregistered silencer alongside altering, removing and obliterating a vehicle identification number.

According to Byerley's admissions, he and three other co-conspirators carried out a coordinated operation across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas to steal, use or sell the stolen and altered vehicles that included tractors, excavators, forklifts and a pickup truck. The total value was over $250,000.

The scheme also involved fraudulent documentation, a "chop shop" for equipment disassembly and tampering, a false business front to sell stolen equipment, altering VINs, and using GPS signal blocks, vehicle plate flippers and fake driver's licenses to conceal their activities. The group used over 400 identities and access devices to evade detection.

Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office search of Byerley's stolen pickup truck as part of a Juban Crossing Shopping Center shoplifting arrest uncovered numerous documents, records, emails, text messages and photos that led law enforcement to uncover the conspiracy and far-reaching criminal enterprise.