Broussard Man Pleads Guilty in Multi-State Vehicle Theft, Firearm Trafficking, and Identity Theft Conspiracy in Multi-Jurisdictional Operation

U. S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Louisiana

Acting United States Attorney April M. Leon announced that Christopher Don Byerley, age 45, of Broussard, Louisiana, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson to conspiracy to transport a stolen motor vehicle; altering, removing and obliterating a vehicle identification number; possession of fifteen or more unauthorized access devices; conspiracy to trafficking a firearm and receipt of a trafficked firearm; receipt of a trafficked firearm; and possession of an unregistered silencer.

According to admissions made as part of his guilty plea, between October 2021 and March 2022, Byerley and his co-conspirators, Robert Gregory Brazell, Adrienne Marie King, and Dennis Loyd Sizemore, carried out a coordinated and complex operation extending across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas, in which the group stole, and subsequently used or sold the stolen and altered vehicles, including tractors, excavators, forklifts, and a pickup truck, with a total value of over $250,000.

The scheme involved fraudulent documentation, a “chop shop” for equipment disassembly and tampering, a false business front such as “Hevyquip L.L.C.” to sell stolen equipment, altering   Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs), and the use of surveillance evasion tools, such as GPS signal blockers, vehicle plate flippers, and fake driver’s licenses. To further conceal their activities, the conspirators utilized over 400 identities and access devices to evade detection.

During the investigation, it was determined that Byerley, a convicted felon, used a third party to illegally purchase a firearm, which was later fitted with the unregistered silencer.

In February 2022, an investigation of a shoplifting incident in the Juban Crossing Shopping Center led Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives to uncover items from a stolen pickup truck being operated by Byerley:

• A functional, unregistered firearm silencer;
• A FN Model 509 9mm pistol and ammunition;
• Documentation detailing parts orders for silencers all in Byerley’s handwriting;
• Multiple text messages and photographs pointing to intent to traffic firearms and circumvent federal regulations; and
• Numerous documents, records, emails, text messages and photos that led law enforcement to uncover the conspiracy and far-reaching criminal enterprise.

Acting U.S. Attorney Leon stated, “These guilty pleas reflect the commitment of our office and federal law enforcement in partnership with our state and local law enforcement agencies to dismantle sophisticated criminal organizations and hold accountable those who pose a significant threat to public safety. We commend the prosecutors and investigators for their hard work and relentless pursuit of the members of this criminal enterprise and are appreciative of their efforts in solving these crimes—even with many attempts at evasion—and returned the stolen equipment to their rightful owners.”

“The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office is committed to conducting thorough investigations and to working with our local and federal agencies. This investigation is a great example of detectives working a shoplifting incident and that turning into a major investigation across this state and others,” said Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard.

“Homeland Security Investigations congratulates our law enforcement partners on this important outcome, which was supported by HSI Baton Rouge’s Louisiana Organized Retail Crime Task Force and its partner agencies. The investigations of these sophisticated crimes are most effectively accomplished through the coordination of multiple law enforcement agencies and across several jurisdictional boundaries, such as what occurred in this investigation. HSI remains committed to protecting the American consumer and safeguarding public safety by disrupting criminal networks that drive up prices and endanger our communities,” said Adam Parks, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Louisiana Division, Homeland Security Investigations.

“The ATF is working closely with local and state police agencies to address firearm trafficking by getting guns out of the hands of criminals, such as this individual,” said ATF New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson. “This guilty plea sends a message to the community that illegal possession of firearms will be held accountable as we work to keep our neighborhoods safe as a top priority to ensure public safety for ATF.”

This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (Baton Rouge and Lafayette Field Divisions), Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, Louisiana State Police (Latent Print Section and the Bureau of Identification and Information), Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, Saint Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office, Saint Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office, Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office, Iberia Sheriff’s Department, and Lafayette Police Department.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lyman E. Thornton III from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana.  To address the firearm trafficking charges, AUSA Thornton was appointed as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in the Western District of Louisiana, where he worked in conjunction with Assistant United States Attorney John Nickel.