Connecticut General Statutes 14-149a – Ownership or operation of a chop shop. Penalty
(a) As used in this section:
Attorney's Note
Under the Connecticut General Statutes, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Class D felony | up to 5 years | up to $5,000 |
Terms Used In Connecticut General Statutes 14-149a
- another: may extend and be applied to communities, companies, corporations, public or private, limited liability companies, societies and associations. See Connecticut General Statutes 1-1
- Commissioner: includes the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles and any assistant to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles who is designated and authorized by, and who is acting for, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles under a designation. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- farm: includes farm buildings, and accessory buildings thereto, nurseries, orchards, ranges, greenhouses, hoophouses and other temporary structures or other structures used primarily for the raising and, as an incident to ordinary farming operations, the sale of agricultural or horticultural commodities. See Connecticut General Statutes 1-1
- Felony: means any offense, as defined in section 53a-25 and includes any offense designated as a felony under federal law. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Motor vehicle: means any vehicle propelled or drawn by any nonmuscular power, except aircraft, motor boats, road rollers, baggage trucks used about railroad stations or other mass transit facilities, electric battery-operated wheel chairs when operated by persons with physical disabilities at speeds not exceeding fifteen miles per hour, golf carts operated on highways solely for the purpose of crossing from one part of the golf course to another, golf-cart-type vehicles operated on roads or highways on the grounds of state institutions by state employees, agricultural tractors, farm implements, such vehicles as run only on rails or tracks, self-propelled snow plows, snow blowers and lawn mowers, when used for the purposes for which they were designed and operated at speeds not exceeding four miles per hour, whether or not the operator rides on or walks behind such equipment, motor-driven cycles, as defined in section 14-286, special mobile equipment, as defined in section 14-165, mini-motorcycles, as defined in section 14-289j, electric bicycles, electric foot scooters and any other vehicle not suitable for operation on a highway. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Owner: means any person holding title to a motor vehicle, or having the legal right to register the same, including purchasers under conditional bills of sale. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Person: includes any individual, corporation, limited liability company, association, copartnership, company, firm, business trust or other aggregation of individuals but does not include the state or any political subdivision thereof, unless the context clearly states or requires. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
- State: means any state of the United States and the District of Columbia unless the context indicates a more specific reference to the state of Connecticut. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Truck: means a motor vehicle designed, used or maintained primarily for the transportation of property. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Vehicle: includes any device suitable for the conveyance, drawing or other transportation of persons or property, whether operated on wheels, runners, a cushion of air or by any other means. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
(1) “Chop shop” means any area, building, storage lot, field or any other premises or place, except an impoundment or storage area authorized by and under the control or direction of a state or municipal law enforcement agency, (A) where one or more persons are engaged or have engaged in altering, dismantling, reassembling or in any way concealing or disguising the identity of a stolen motor vehicle or of any major component part of a stolen motor vehicle, (B) where there are three or more stolen motor vehicles present, or (C) where there are major component parts from three or more stolen motor vehicles present.
(2) “Major component part” means one of the following parts of a motor vehicle: (A) The engine, (B) the transmission, (C) the right or left front fender, (D) the hood, (E) a door allowing entrance to or egress from the passenger compartment of the vehicle, (F) the front or rear bumper, (G) the right or left rear quarter panel, (H) the deck lid, tailgate or hatchback, (I) the trunk floor pan, (J) the cargo box of a pickup, (K) the frame, or if the vehicle has a unitized body, the supporting structure or structures which serve as the frame, (L) the cab of a truck, (M) the body of a passenger vehicle, or (N) any other part of a motor vehicle which the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles determines is comparable in design or function to any of the parts listed in subparagraphs (A) to (M), inclusive, of this subdivision.
(3) “Motor vehicle” means motor vehicle, as defined in section 14-1, but shall include construction equipment, agricultural tractors and farm implements.
(b) Any person who knowingly owns, operates or conducts a chop shop or who knowingly aids and abets another person in owning, operating or conducting a chop shop shall, for a first offense, be guilty of a class D felony and, for a second or subsequent offense, be guilty of a class D felony, except that such person shall be fined not less than ten thousand dollars.
(c) Upon conviction of any person for a violation of this section, the court may, in addition to, but not in lieu of, imposing a fine or a term of imprisonment, order such person to make restitution to the rightful owner of a stolen motor vehicle or of a stolen major component part, or to the owner’s insurer if the owner has already been compensated for the loss by the insurer, for any financial loss sustained as a result of the theft of such motor vehicle or major component part.