Houston man sent to prison for hijacking interstate freight shipment

US Attorney’s Office – Southern District of Texas, Apr. 6, 2021

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 22-year-old Houston man has been ordered to federal prison after stealing a large load of electronics originally set for delivery to a local college, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

Maksims Klopovs pleaded guilty Jan. 4.

Today, U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos ordered Klopovs to serve a 30-month sentence to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard Klopovs had entered the United States less than 60 days before his arrest. However, in that short time, he had already been involved in at least three similar freight hijackings in the Houston area. As part of the scheme, Klopovs created and used at least 12 fraudulent ID cards and rented multiple storage units to store the hijacked goods until they could be sold. The court determined the value of the goods involved in the four hijackings was in excess of $400,000. In handing down the sentence, Judge Ramos noted the extent and nature of the criminal conduct in this case justified the sentence.

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