Savannah, Georgia: Edmund A. Booth, Jr., United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, and Gregory Jones, Special Agent in Charge (SAC), Federal Bureau of Investigation, Atlanta, announced today the return of a 56-count Indictment by the Federal Grand Jury in Savannah, charging 23 individuals with conspiring to commit offenses against the United States, including trafficking in stolen motor vehicles, in violation of Title 18, United
States Code, Section 2313; alteration of motor vehicle identification numbers (VINs), in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 511; trafficking in motor vehicles with altered VINs, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2321; possession of counterfeit state motor vehicle titles with the intent to defraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 513; and false statements to investigating federal law enforcement officers, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001.

Booth stated that the Indictment was returned under seal on December 13, 2007, and was unsealed yesterday following the arrest of the individuals listed below:

TROY JASON EDENFIELD, age 34, of Statesboro, Georgia;
JIMMY LEE EVERETT, age 39, of Statesboro, Georgia;
RONNIE LEE, JR., age 23, of Savannah, Georgia;
BRIAN DANIEL HUNT, age 24, of Brooklet, Georgia;
JAMES WESLEY EDENFIELD, age 36, of Statesboro, Georgia;
ADISHA JABARI BRYANT, age 29, of Savannah, Georgia;
WILLIE BATTISE, JR., age 44, of Bloomingdale, Georgia;
JOHN ALLEN WILLIAMS, JR., age 37, of Marietta, Georgia;
JOHN FITZGERALD JONES, age 43, of Statesboro, Georgia;
ARCHIE DOUGLAS FINCH, JR., age 58, of Portal, Georgia;
TERRY LEVAN McCOY, age 31, of Savannah, Georgia;
TARYN MARIE YORK, age 23, of Brooklet, Georgia; and
DAISY VICTORIA SCOTT, age 31, of Sylvania, Georgia.

Earlier today, each of the above individuals appeared before the United States Magistrate Judge in Statesboro, Georgia, for an initial appearance.

Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation also arrested LEON SPENCER PATTERSON, age 39, of Snellville, Georgia; WESLEY BERNARD AIKENS, age 31, of Union City, Georgia, ALLEN MICHAEL TILLMAN, age 30, of Bluffton, South Carolina, and JEFFREY LEE GAINES, age 40, of Pampa, Texas. Each of those individuals will appear before a United States Magistrate Judge in the district of arrest for initial appearance.

Also charged in the Indictment are the following individuals: JERMAINE VAN GARDNER, age 34, of Savannah, Georgia; RANDALL LEE CHAMBERS, age 46, of Metter, Georgia; WOODARD HOOK LEWIS, age 49, of Statesboro, Georgia; JUSTIN WAYNE PRINCE, age 24, of Statesboro, Georgia; ROBERT DWAYNE PRINCE, age 47, of Statesboro, Georgia; and CHARLIE SIMMONS, age 49, of Savannah, Georgia.

Booth stressed that an indictment is only an accusation and is not evidence of guilt. The Defendants are entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the Government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The investigation was led by Special Agent Marcus Kirkland of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Georgia Department of Revenue / Auto Theft Unit, Savannah Chatham Metropolitan Police Department, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Statesboro Police Department, and the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office provided substantial assistance to the FBI in this matter. The government is represented by Assistant United States Attorney R. Brian Tanner.