A Laurel man was sentenced to 37 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiring to steal and export cars to West Africa.

According to a press release from the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, Rodley Balthazar, 30, a Haitian citizen living in Maryland, worked with others to rent and steal cars from companies such as Avis and Hertz.

Using false documents and credit cards, Balthazar worked with others to rent cars in Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Tennessee, and other states. According to the press release, the cars were sent to Maryland and headed to West Africa “using false declaration forms and other paperwork to conceal the containers’ contents.”

Another Laurel man, Jonathan Davis, was sentenced to 13 months in federal prison after a guilty plea. A third co-conspirator, Abdul Karim Turay Jr., awaits sentencing.

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“Law enforcement is aware of more than 40 vehicles that Balthazar and his co-conspirators either exported or attempted to export to West Africa,” according to the press release. The scheme took place between September 2019 and June 2022.

The investigation involved the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Homeland Security Investigations Baltimore, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Maryland Transportation Authority Police.