Truck driver sentenced 22 years for role in cargo theft ring

Updated Dec 13, 2014
cargo theft feb-april 14
Map from FreightWatch International

A Missouri trucker will serve nearly 22 years in prison without parole and is required to pay almost $1.3 million in restitution for conspiring steal trucks, trailers and cargo over a 14-year period.

On Dec. 8, a Kansas City federal district court sentenced Kenneth Ray Borders to 21 years and 10 months incarceration without parole and ordered him to pay $1,270,089 in restitution to 27 victims.

The sentence considered the 43-year-old Kansas City resident’s prior history of similar crime in two states. Borders also had numerous instances of driving without a license or a suspended license. He was under criminal sentence for driving while revoked during the conspiracy, according to district’s U.S. Attorney’s office.

In addition to conspiracy, Borders was found guilty of four counts of aiding and abetting the possession of stolen goods, one count of aiding and abetting transportation of stolen goods and one count of aiding and abetting possession of stolen vehicles.

In February, he was found guilty for participation in the conspiracy that spanned six states from 1998 to December 2013.

Co-defendants Jon Dirk Dickerson, 56, of Raytown, Mo., and Kyle Wayne Dickerson, 32, of Holden, Mo., were also convicted in the conspiracy and await sentencing. The father and son used the stolen trucks and trailers in their own trucking business. Sometimes they obtained replacement parts off the equipment and sold the remains for scrap.

Evidence presented at the trial focused on five trucks and 17 trailers stolen between 2005 and 2011. The conspirators sometimes used the trucks and trailers to haul customer loads and at other times sold the equipment. They would sell the cargo to anyone, including to a tow truck driver or convenience store operator to resell.

Borders occasionally sold loads to others to resell, sometimes fronting the money by allowing his “customers” to pay him after they sold the product. He also used some equipment to make money by delivering cargo.

Jon Dickerson often had first right to purchase stolen equipment and had supplied Borders with a list of trucks and trailers he wanted. Kyle Dickerson was involved with altering Vehicle Identification Numbers so that they could be used in their trucking business without alerting authorities.

The senior Dickerson was found guilty of three counts of aiding and abetting the possession of stolen goods and one count of aiding and abetting the possession of stolen vehicles. The younger Dickerson was found guilty of one count of aiding and abetting the transportation of stolen vehicles, two counts of aiding and abetting the possession of stolen goods and one count of aiding and abetting the possession of stolen vehicles

The Dickersons had little incentive to maintain and repair their fleet because of the supply of stolen equipment, repeatedly failing inspections and racking up violations.

The carrier’s unsatisfactory safety ratings resulted in $450,000 in fines and numerous out-of-service orders. They continued operating and ignoring fines by operating as a chameleon carriers, abandoning one company and starting a new one. Their company names included D&T Trucking, Night Line Trucking and Repair Nightline Trucking LLC.

Additional co-defendants have pleaded guilty in this case and in related investigations.

The multi-agency investigation resulted in one agent receiving the prestigious annual Guardian of Justice Award from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Last August, USDA Special Agent David Colegrove was honored for his diligence and professionalism in the case.