DAYTON — An Ohio man recently admitted to 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.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Kahrese Tracey Scott Lee, 28, of Cincinnati, pleaded guilty to conspiring to transport stolen vehicles in interstate commerce and to knowingly operating a chop shop.
Lee, also known as “Reese Lee” and “Bennett Jones,” could face up to 15 years in prison.
From October 2023 to October 2024, Lee knowingly operated an interstate stolen car ring, the spokesperson said.
TRENDING STORIES:
- $2M bond set for man charged with disposing of 7-year-old Dayton boy’s body
- 1 shot while walking through school parking lot in Springfield
- NY-style pizza shop moving into former site of Mexican restaurant in Dayton
Lee had a garage in Dayton, where he received dozens of stolen cars.
The spokesperson said that 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.
Lee and his accomplices put a tracking device on one of the stolen cars and tracked it back to Indiana, according to court documents.
“Lee traveled back to the Indiana dealership and attempted to steal the vehicle again; however, law enforcement apprehended him as he attempted to do so,” the spokesperson said.
Six other people were charged alongside Lee in a federal indictment in November 2024.
[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2025 Cox Media Group
