Michigan man sentenced for stealing dozens of cars from Silverdome lot

(CBS DETROIT) - A Farmington Hills man was sentenced to eight years in prison after being found guilty of conspiring to steal dozens of Audi and Volkswagen vehicles from a lot on the site of the former Pontiac Silverdome.

Romane Porter, 47, was found guilty in April of conspiracy to transport stolen vehicles and transportation of stolen vehicles. Porter and his co-defendant, Daniel Onorati, were accused of conspiring to steal 61 recalled Audi and Volkswagen vehicles from the former Silverdome lot over six months in 2017.

"This defendant orchestrated a large-scale conspiracy to brazenly steal recalled vehicles and sell them across state lines," said U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison in a statement. "This sentence reflects the seriousness with which we address fraud, and the work done to achieve the result in this case further demonstrates the strong collaboration and coordination between our local and federal law enforcement partners."

In addition to the eight-year prison sentence, Porter must pay $683,080 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release.

"The sentencing of Romane Porter sends a stark reminder that those individuals who conspire to commit fraud and theft, will face the highest penalties under the law," said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. "The joint investigative work of the FBI's Detroit Fraud & Financial Crimes Task Force, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office Auto Theft unit, and the diligent prosecution from the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Eastern District of Michigan, disrupted an elaborate theft scheme orchestrated by this bad actor. The FBI in Michigan will continue to investigate and arrest individuals who engage in criminal acts."