Chop shop’s assets going up for auction

John Edward Newcome pleaded guilty to 19 criminal charges after an investigation at his business, Cycle Logic

AWest Kelowna businessman charged with operating a large chop shop has agreed to forfeit customized motorcycles, vehicle parts and tools to B.C.’s civil forfeiture office.

Under a court-approved settlement, John Edward Newcome, 48, has signed over two dozen complete or partial motorcycles, including sport bikes, choppers and custom Harley Davidson motorcycles.

He also forfeited garage and trades tools, including bike hoists, a wheel balancer, a tire machine, welders and a drill press.

Some of the assets are currently listed online at bcauction.ca and are open to public bidding; others will be posted in the days ahead.

In 2012, police were tipped off that Newcome was replacing vehicle-identification numbers at Cycle Logic on Juliann Road.

By hiding their origin, he was able to sell the vehicles.

Mounties set up surveillance in July 2012 and found two trucks and two boats with modified VINs at Cycle Logic and Newcome’s property at 4912 Star Pl. in Peachland.

They launched a major investigation, recovering trucks, boats, trailers, ATVs and motorcycles stolen in the Southern Interior and Southern Alberta.

Police arrested Newcome and seized more than a dozen vehicles from his shop and house.

Investigators said they recovered $750,000 worth of stolen goods in total.

Case files noted Cycle Logic’s connections to Hells Angels chapters in Nanaimo and Calgary, and to two other motorcycle gangs, the Throttle Lockers and the Kingpin Crew.

In February 2014, Newcome pleaded guilty to 19 counts, 14 of which related to stolen property.

Judge Vince Hogan sentenced him to 18 months of house arrest for running a West Kelowna chop shop that modified VIN numbers and sold stolen cars.

“Sophisticated, large-scale, organized theft rings don’t just cost their victims time and money,” said Mike Morris, minister of public safety.

“Often they provide capital to organizations that are also behind a lot of the drug crime and related violence in our communities. Civil forfeiture adds value by helping to break up these kinds of operations and stem the flow of cash to these organizations.”

Many of the stolen vehicles recovered were returned to their rightful owners, but legal ownership of many of the forfeited vehicles and parts could not be confirmed.