http://www.nbc-2.com/articles/readarticle.asp?articleid=15032&z=3&p=

LEE COUNTY:
Authorities say they have shut down a massive motorcycle theft ring
that stole almost $400,000 worth of sport bikes from all over Southwest
Florida.

The Lee
County Sheriff's Office noticed a drastic rise in motorcycle thefts
back in February. An initial investigation revealed that the problem
was widespread and that bikes were being stolen all over the area.

Several local law enforcement agencies teamed up for "Operation Throttle Down."

Investigators from Lee
County Sheriff’s Office, Attorney General’s Office, Office of Statewide
Prosecution, Cape Coral Police Department, National Insurance Crime
Bureau, the Fort Myers Police Department and Collier County Sheriff’s
Office joined in.

Through their collaborative efforts, detectives were able to identify a group of "key players" from Lee County.

They
determined that the group was directly or indirectly responsible for
the theft of approximately $400,000 worth of motorcycles since the
beginning of the year.

Investigators say the group was chopping up the stolen motorcycles and selling their parts.

Authorities issued warrants for 13 people and on Thursday arrested 11 of them, but two are still on the run.

The suspects
face a range for charges including, operating a chop shop, grand theft
auto, dealing in stolen property, possession of vehicle with altered
vehicle identification number and title fraud.

Michael
Medellin, 32, is facing the most serious charges. Authorities also
filed a civil lawsuit against him in August after finding 67 motorcycle
parts in the garage of his Cape Coral home.

According to court documents, a motorcycle engine found in Medellin's garage was allegedly stolen from Fort Myers.

Detectives
seized all of the motorcycle parts and filed a forfeiture lawsuit so
authorities can eventually return the parts to their owners.
Read the list of seized items

Here is a list of all of the suspects and the charges they face:

• Michael Medellin, 32 - Possession of a vehicle with altered identification numbers, dealing in stolen property and operating a chop shop
  
• Andres Lopez, 27 - 12 counts of grand theft auto
  
• Brian Simmons, 32 -
  Fraudulent application for title, possession of a vehicle with altered
  identification numbers and dealing in stolen property
  
• Bruno Soares, 22 - Dealing in stolen property, possession of a vehicle with altered identification numbers
  
• Rigoberto Monzon Sanchez, 26 - Dealing in stolen property
  
• Juan Hernandez Monzon, 27 - Dealing in stolen property
  
• Orlando Matos, 41 - Possession of a vehicle with altered identification numbers
  
• Devon Keon Robinson, 18 - Grand theft auto
  
• Christian Lopez, 28 - Grand
  theft auto, possession of a vehicle with altered identification
  numbers, possession of a vehicle with altered identification numbers
  
• Lisandra Dorada, 20 - Dealing in stolen property
  
• Javier Castro, 26 - Dealing in stolen property

The following suspects have not been arrested, but according to authorities are wanted in connection with this crime ring:

• James Ortega, 29 - Dealing in stolen property, possession of a vehicle with altered identification numbers
  
• Josue Ordaz Lopez, 20 - Dealing in stolen property, grand theft with over $1000 in damage

The Lee
County Sheriff's office has scheduled a press conference for 2 p.m. to
discuss "Operation Throttle Down" so please check back to this site for
updates.