DAYTON — An Ohio man recently learned his punishment for operating a $1.5 million chop shop conspiracy in Dayton, according to a spokesperson with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.
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Kahrese Tracey Scott Lee, 28, of Cincinnati, was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison.
As previously reported by News Center 7, Lee previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to transport stolen vehicles in interstate commerce and to knowingly operating a chop shop.
Lee operated an interstate stolen car ring from October 2023 to October 2024.
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He had a garage in Dayton, where he received dozens of stolen cars.
The spokesperson said in May 2024, Lee’s Dayton chop shop housed more than half a million dollars in stolen cars and parts.
Lee often disassembled stolen cars and removed the parts for resale or to place in another vehicle, according to court records.
He also received, traded, and sold cars out of state, the spokesperson said.
Sometimes Lee stole cars himself or worked with other people to do so.
Court documents indicate that during one planned theft, Lee and others went to Indiana and stole three cars valued at more than $200,000 from an auto lot.
Authorities eventually found Lee and other individuals with the stolen vehicles in Alabama, where they planned to create a new garage.
The spokesperson said officers returned the cars to the Indiana dealership; however, they tracked one of the stolen cars back to Indiana with a tracking device.
Lee went back to Indiana to try to steal the car, but law enforcement arrested him.
Six other people were federally charged alongside Lee in November 2024.
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