A Detroit man is headed to prison after pleading guilty to his role in a prolific auto theft ring, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said.
Caesar Cooper, 25, was sentenced on Aug. 11 to 5 to 20 years in prison.
Judge Cheryl A. Matthews in the 6th Circuit Court in Oakland County sentenced Cooper for one count of conducting a criminal enterprise.
Cooper had been charged in November 2025 with one count of conducting a criminal enterprise and two counts of receiving and concealing stolen property, prosecutors said. Authorities allege Cooper was also responsible for multiple auto thefts across Metro Detroit from 2023 to 2025.
The vehicles stolen include a 2023 Lincoln Navigator, a Maserati Levante, a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee, a 2023 Cadillac Escalade and a 2023 Dodge Durango.
The Troy Police Department began investigating the crime ring in August 2023 and then partnered with the Attorney General’s FORCE Team in early 2024 to bring down this expansive criminal organization, according to authorities.
Nessel’s office first announced this investigation in May 2024.
The investigation, which included the efforts of multiple local police departments across Michigan and auto theft groups, concluded that the criminal ring targeted new vehicle storage lots at manufacturing facilities, car dealerships, parking lots and individual residences.
According to authorities, 15 defendants have been sentenced for their role in the criminal network since 2024.
