ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury convicted Deonte Holden, 30, of Hyattsville, Maryland, and Clifford Flemming Smith Jr., 38, of Columbus, Ohio, yesterday on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to receive stolen vehicles, and also convicted Smith of aggravated identity theft.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Holden and Smith were part of a multi-state conspiracy to fraudulently purchase or steal vehicles and then prep and transport them for sale. The conspiracy involved over 150 stolen vehicles worth over $6 million.
The conspirators used the identities of real people without the victims’ knowledge to purchase or attempt to purchase new and used cars. They also fraudulently used stolen identities to test drive vehicles, obtain copies of the key fobs, return the vehicles to the dealerships, and then return to the dealerships to steal the vehicles using the key fob copies. The conspirators also used tow trucks to take vehicles from dealerships, rental lots, and residential neighborhoods.
Once vehicles were obtained, the conspirators would remove or conceal the factory-installed Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) and disable the vehicles’ Global Positioning Systems (GPS) so the vehicles could be transferred to others without detection.
Holden and Smith are scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 15, 2027. Holden faces up to 25 years in prison. Smith faces a mandatory minimum of two years and up to 27 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The other seven other conspirators charged in the case already pled guilty.
Roy Lee Jones pled guilty on May 23, 2025, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to receive stolen vehicles. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 10 and faces a mandatory minimum of two years and up to 27 years in prison.
Shaheed McClease Coston pled guilty on June 27, 2025, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to receive stolen vehicles. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 29 and faces a mandatory minimum of two years and up to 27 years in prison.
Carroll Michael Skipwith pled guilty on June 27, 2025, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 3 and faces a mandatory minimum of two years and up to 22 years in prison.
Timothy Kelly pled guilty on July 18, 2025, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. On Feb. 5, 2026, Kelly was sentenced to six years and four months in prison.
Jonathan Tarrell Smalls pled guilty on Aug. 15, 2025, to conspiracy to receive stolen vehicles. On Jan. 22, Smalls was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Sharrone Wilson pled guilty on July 9 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 15 and faces up to 20 years in prison.
Jenaro Blalock pled guilty on Aug. 6 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to receive stolen vehicles. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 5 and faces a mandatory minimum of two years and up to 27 years in prison.
Theophani K. Stamos, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Jeffrey L. Tyler, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal Division, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff accepted the verdict. The case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office, Baltimore County Police Department, Prince George's County Police Department, Fairfax County Police Department, and Prince William County Police Department with assistance from the FBI Cleveland Field Office, FBI Cincinnati Field Office, and FBI Minneapolis Field Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas J. Patterson and Reed Sawyers and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Bolzman are prosecuting the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-273.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Eastern District of Virginia — U.S. Department of Justice press release.