LOUISA, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – A Baltimore man has been convicted and sentenced in Louisa County for his role in a heavy equipment theft ring that spanned the East Coast. Rocceon Madrice Harrisson, 24, was sentenced to six years in prison, with all but one year suspended, after pleading guilty to charges of selling stolen property and grand larceny by obtaining money by false pretenses, according to Commonwealth’s Attorney Rusty McGuire.

The case began in December 2023 when a Louisa County resident found an excavator for sale on Facebook Marketplace. McGuire stated that the victim contacted Harrisson through Facebook Messenger and arranged to meet in Louisa to finalize the purchase. Harrisson arrived in a Home Depot rental truck towing the excavator, claiming it had belonged to a deceased family member. The victim, believing the story, paid $12,500 for the equipment and took a photo of Harrisson’s driver’s license as a precaution.

McGuire explained that when the victim inspected the excavator more closely at home, he noticed missing stickers and contacted John Deere to check the VIN. It was then revealed that the excavator was still under rental from a Home Depot in Maryland. Home Depot recovered the excavator the next day, leaving the victim with a $12,500 loss.

Further investigation by the Baltimore Police Department connected the equipment renter to Harrisson, who was later arrested in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, while attempting to sell additional stolen Home Depot equipment.

McGuire says that heavy equipment theft is a growing problem, costing retailers millions of dollars nationwide.

He warned residents to be cautious when purchasing items on platforms like Facebook Marketplace to avoid falling victim to similar scams.

“We want the community to be aware of this nationwide problem so they don’t lose thousands of dollars to scam artists like the Defendant. We hope the Defendant’s year in jail will make him think twice before ripping off someone from Louisa,” McGuire said.