A Colorado grand jury indicted 12 members of an organized crime ring for alleged violations of the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act (COCCA) in connection to a string of thefts throughout Denver metro construction sites.

The Night Siders Enterprise — an organized group made up of the 12 charged — allegedly scouted local lumber yards and construction sites. Once a site was targeted, the group would often cut a hole in the fence at night and steal construction materials, loading them in vehicles and rented U-Haul trucks, according to a news release from the 20th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

The stolen materials were then moved to a storage unit in the metro area and sold off to people via social media marketplaces. 

The total value of the material stolen in the string of thefts added up to $310,002.03. Property damage associated with the thefts totaled $15,022.38, according to the release.

Each of the defendants face up to a 24-year prison sentence on the class 2 felony COCCA charges. 

An “extensive” investigation was conducted by the Lafayette Police Department following the crimes. Multiple other law enforcement agencies in the area contributed to the investigation, leading to the eventual indictment on Feb. 23.

Of the 12 indicted, 11 have been taken into custody so far, with the 12th still at large.

The 11 arrested include:

• Abiel Castillo-Medina
• Jesus Castillo-Medina
• Arturo Reza Olivan
• Alejandro Pineda-Vergara
• Esperanza Hernandez
• Wilfredo Martinez-Castejon
• Bryan Macias Espinoza
• Samuel Pineda-Vergara
• Manuel Cardoza-Peregrino
• Rubi Rivera
• Jose Pineda-Vergara

The news comes almost one year after the Lafayette Police Department and 20th Judicial District Attorney’s Office announced the indictment of six suspects in an entirely different construction site theft ring on Feb. 28, 2023.

In the strikingly similar case, the suspects traveled from California to Colorado, scouting and stealing from 36 construction sites in the metro.

They, too, were indicted on COCCA charges. 

“Crime rings may want to avoid Lafayette,” 20th District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in Friday’s press release. “Once again, the Lafayette Police Department led a multi-agency response to pursue leads and bring down a major crime ring operating all throughout the metro area.”