A California man, Patrick Garland, has pleaded guilty to charges related to the interstate transportation of stolen property. Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that Garland entered his plea on September 3, 2025, in response to a two-count indictment. The charges include conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen goods and the actual transportation of those goods across state lines.
According to court documents, Garland and others conspired to move cigarettes stolen during a burglary at a warehouse facility on November 21, 2024. Authorities say the group traveled out of state and was apprehended in Fort Stockton, Texas the next day while still in possession of the stolen cigarettes. The investigation also linked them to similar burglaries in North Carolina and Texas earlier in February 2024.
For the conspiracy charge (Count 1), Garland could face up to five years in prison, a fine as high as $250,000, up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. On Count 2 for interstate transportation of stolen goods, he faces up to ten years imprisonment, up to three years supervised release, another potential $250,000 fine, and an additional $100 special assessment fee.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson commended multiple law enforcement agencies for their roles in the investigation: "Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Knightdale Police Department, the Atlanta Police Department, the Rockmart Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Fort Stockton Police Department in investigating this matter." Assistant United States Attorney Paul J. Hubbell from the General Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
