BATON ROUGE — A Lafayette woman was sentenced to four years in federal prison for her role in a multi-state operation that involved stealing and selling heavy equipment.

The U.S. Attorney's office in Baton Rouge said Adrienne Marie King, 39, had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport a stolen motor vehicle, altering vehicle identification numbers and possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices.

Federal prosecutors said that, between October 2021 and March 2022, King and three others carried out an operation across Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. The group stole tractors, excavators, forklifts and a pickup truck worth more than $250,000, the government said.

Investigators said the group members had more than 900 identities and access devices without authorization to help conceal their activities.

Four years ago, Livingston Parish deputies investigating a shoplifting case at the Juban Crossing Shopping Center discovered a stolen pickup truck being driven by King and Christopher Don Byerley, the prosecutors said. 

Inside the truck, detectives found an unregistered firearm silencer, a pistol, ammunition and documents detailing parts orders for silencers. They also found text messages and photos pointing to their intent to traffic firearms and avoid federal regulations, according to court documents.

Byerley was previously sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison for his role, while Dennis Lloyd Sizemore and Robert Brazell are awaiting sentencing.

King was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after her prison term and must pay $127,000 in restitution.