United States v. Uder

Robert Moon and Lloyd Hightower ran a "body swap" scheme in which a stolen 1994 Suburban's body was fitted onto a salvaged 1993 Suburban's frame to disguise its identity. Scotty Joe Uder (defendant) and Mat Lowrance did the body work to fit the stolen vehicle onto the salvaged frame, and Uder later returned to fix a broken part on the car. Several codefendants who struck plea deals testified against Uder at trial. Uder argued on appeal that there was no direct proof he knew the vehicle was stolen, while the government argued any participation besides being a customer was illegal.