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📍 Greenbelt, Maryland — July 2, 2025
Federal prosecutors have unsealed a 22-count indictment charging Charles Edwards Madden, 39, of New Carrollton, Maryland, and Michael R. Bourne, 33, of New York, with orchestrating a multi-year conspiracy involving the sale and trafficking of stolen vehicles with altered vehicle identification numbers (VINs).
🔍 Charges Filed The indictment includes:
- Conspiracy to commit wire fraud
- Operating a chop shop
- Sale or receipt of stolen vehicles
- Trafficking in motor vehicles with altered VINs
Madden faces an additional charge for operating a chop shop in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
🚗 Scheme Overview Between January 2020 and June 2024, Madden and Bourne allegedly:
- Acquired dozens of stolen vehicles worth over $1 million
- Altered VINs to disguise the vehicles’ origins
- Combined parts from salvaged vehicles to misrepresent condition
- Sold the vehicles to unsuspecting buyers in Maryland and other states
Many of the vehicles were transported to Prince George’s County, where they were modified and resold.
⚖️ Potential Penalties If convicted:
- Madden and Bourne face up to 20 years for wire fraud conspiracy
- Up to 10 years each for trafficking and sale of stolen vehicles
- Madden could receive up to 15 years for operating a chop shop
Sentencing will be determined by a federal judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
🛡️ Law Enforcement Response The case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and the Prince George’s County Police Department, with prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan S. McKoy and Justice Department trial attorneys Amy Schwartz and Alyssa Levey-Weinstein.
Authorities emphasize that an indictment is not a finding of guilt; both defendants are presumed innocent until proven otherwise in court.
You can read the full press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.
