Kansas City man sentenced to prison for role in truck, cargo theft scheme in 6 states

A Missouri man convicted in a scheme to steal more than $1 million worth of trucks and trailers from six states kept a "shopping list" of the products one of his buyers wanted and sometimes sold stolen goods from the back of the trucks, federal prosecutors said.

Kenneth Ray Borders, 43, of Kansas City, was sentenced Monday to 21 years and 10 months in federal prison without parole after being convicted in February of conspiracy and six other federal counts.

In addition to his sentence, Borders was ordered to pay nearly $1.3 million in restitution to 27 victims for thefts in Missouri, Kansas, Florida, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska from 1998 to December 2013.

Two co-defendants, John Dickerson, 56, of Raytown, Missouri, and his son Kyle Wayne Dickerson, 32, of Holden, Missouri, also have been convicted in their roles in the conspiracy and are awaiting sentencing.

During trial, prosecutors presented evidence focusing on the thefts of five Freightliner trucks and 17 trailers between 2005 and 2011. The stolen trailers contained such cargo as 39,000 pounds of meat, 565 boxes of beef valued at nearly $150,000 and frozen ribs valued at $125,000. The trailers also held frozen chicken, Budweiser beer, Nike shoes and more than 21,000 pounds of Little Sizzler sausages, prosecutors said.

The three men worked together to steal the trucks, trailers and cargo and then dispose of them, prosecutors said. The conspirators occasionally used the trucks and trailers themselves to make money by hauling loads for customers, and other times they sold the vehicles.

The conspiracy included a dozen people, including nine who pleaded guilty to various charges and three — Borders and the Dickersons — who were convicted at trial.

Several of the conspirators, including Myron Piggie, 53, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty to possessing stolen property.

Piggie is a former amateur basketball coach who admitted in 2000 that he had given money to high school basketball stars — including brothers JaRon and Kareem Rush — who played for him in summer league games in Kansas City.

He admitted last year that he bought stolen Budweiser beer valued at more than $7,500 from other conspirators in July 2009, but gave most if not all of the beer away after being tipped off that police knew he had it. He was sentenced in May to four years of probation.