Colorado tow truck driver sentenced to 16 years for theft scheme. Towed and Sold older cars to salvage
Colorado tow truck driver sentenced to 16 years in prison for car theft operation
https://www.denvergazette.com/2025/09/29/colorado-tow-truck-driver-sentenced-to-16-years-in-prison-for-car-theft-operation/
23rd Judicial District Judge Ryan Stuart sentenced Brian Chacon, 34, to 16 years in the Department of Corrections after he was convicted of 48 counts of motor vehicle theft as part of a plea deal.
Authorities said Chacon, who operated Eagle Wing Towing out of Aurora, stole or scrapped at least 48 vehicles along the Interstate 25 corridor between 2023 and 2024. 23rd Judicial District officials said Chacon “exploited a loophole” in Colorado towing laws – without raising immediate suspicion of stealing vehicles before victims began reporting it.
Authorities said Chacon registered vehicle VIN numbers fast enough for it not to be registered as stolen, as salvage yards are only required to report stolen vehicles upon purchase
“The salvage yard is not required to run the VIN a second time before destroying the vehicle,” Adkins said. “If the regulations had required them to do so, this defendant would not have been able to steal and scrap nearly as many vehicles as he did.”
During his operation, Chacon stole at least 37 vehicles, most models over 15-years-old, to U-Pull-&-Pay locations in Denver, Littleton and Aurora, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office investigation.
https://www.denver7.com/news/local-news/castle-rock-tow-truck-driver-sentenced-to-16-years-in-prison-for-auto-theft-scheme#google_vignette
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and last updated 7:27 AM, Sep 30, 2025
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — A Castle Rock tow truck driver was sentenced to 16 years in prison for orchestrating an auto theft scheme that spanned across the Denver metro area.
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office said its investigation began in December 2023 after a detective with the Auto Theft Unit was assigned a stolen vehicle case. The detective later learned that the case may be related to several incidents involving Eagle Wing Towing.
According to the 23rd Judicial District Attorney's Office, between April 2023 and February 2024, Brian Chacon, 34, owner of Eagle Wing Towing in Aurora, used his tow truck to steal unoccupied vehicles, then forged ownership documents to sell the vehicles to salvage yards across the Denver metro area. Investigators found the stolen vehicles in lots from Douglas County to Denver to Aurora.
The DA's office said Chacon "exploited a loophole in Colorado law," which allowed him to complete the sales without raising immediate suspicion.
According to the DA's office, of the more than 80 cars that were sold during the scheme, 48 were confirmed stolen. Investigators could not confirm the information on 29 vehicles "due to the inability to locate the most recent/true owner," according to the sheriff's office.