Minnesota Resident Charged in Stolen Vehicle Scheme

MADISON, WI—John W. Vaudreuil, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that a federal grand jury sitting in Madison returned an indictment on Wednesday, September 1, 2010, charging Gale A. Rachuy, 60, of Duluth, Minn., with multiple counts of interstate transportation of stolen motor vehicles. Rachuy was arraigned Friday, September 10th, in U.S. District Court in Madison and trial was set for January 10, 2011.

The charges involve Rachuy purchasing vehicles from dealerships and from an individual using closed account checks and then transporting the vehicles in interstate commerce knowing that they were stolen vehicles. If convicted, Rachuy faces a maximum penalty of 10 years' incarceration, $250,000 fine, three-year period of supervised release, a $100 special assessment, and the entry of an appropriate restitution order on each count.

The charges against Gale A. Rachuy were the result of an investigation conducted by the Eau Claire Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Superior Police Department, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, the Duluth Police Department, and the Carlton County Sheriff’s Department. The prosecution of this case has been assigned to Assistant U.S. Attorney Grant C. Johnson.

You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.