Montana man sentenced in $182K equipment theft

A federal judge sentenced a Montana man on June 23 to 41 months in prison for transporting stolen construction equipment across state lines. Acting U. S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith announced the sentence. Eric Brandon Wright, 43, of Lakeside, Montana, also received three years of supervised release.

Wright pleaded guilty in January 2026 to one count of interstate transportation of stolen property. U. S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided over the case. Theft targeted rental business Court documents state Wright stole $181,890 in construction equipment from RDO Rental Equipment in Kalispell. The theft occurred during the night of Aug.

23 and into the early morning of Aug. 24, 2023. Wright entered the RDO property and removed digging equipment, mulching equipment and a Towmaster trailer. He attached the trailer to an employee’s vehicle. He used the vehicle to haul the equipment from the business. Police recovered the employee’s vehicle several days later.

Officers reported that a motorized wheelchair was missing from the vehicle. Court documents do not identify the employee. The Justice Department did not say whether investigators recovered the wheelchair. Facebook tip led investigators to Idaho Law enforcement received a tip on Jan. 19, 2024.

The tip said Wright was selling construction equipment on Facebook. Officers tracked the equipment to a storage facility in Lewiston, Idaho. Detectives spoke with the facility owner. The owner confirmed Wright rented storage space there. Officers arrested Wright on Jan. 30, 2024, on an unrelated outstanding warrant.

Detectives questioned Wright about the RDO theft. Wright denied stealing the equipment. He told investigators he bought the equipment from someone in Missoula. Cell phone data supported the investigation Investigators analyzed cell phone data and surveillance video. The evidence placed Wright’s truck at RDO on the night of the theft.

Officers later responded to a report of a separate theft. That call took them to Wright’s uncle’s residence in Dalton Gardens, Idaho. Officers found the missing Towmaster trailer at the property. Officers also saw Wright’s uncle using an electric wheelchair. Investigators said the wheelchair resembled the one taken from the employee’s vehicle.

Court documents do not identify the uncle. The Justice Department did not say whether investigators seized the wheelchair. The Kalispell Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. The U. S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana prosecuted the case. Click here for more articles on cargo theft and freight fraud by Phillip Brink.

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