Tech-savvy fraudsters used fake keys and information from illegal websites to steal 45 cars in New York and transport them to the Caribbean for resale, prosecutors said.
State Attorney General Letitia James on Monday sentenced four thieves and five accomplices in a massive conspiracy that unfolded in the Big Apple and Westchester County during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. announced that he had been sentenced.
All nine suspects have since pleaded guilty to the long-running scheme, dubbed Operation Masterkey, and were sentenced by Judge Guy Mitchell in Bronx Supreme Court on Friday, James said in a statement.
Norberto Peña Brito (38 years old), Jose Lebron Pimentel (42 years old), Daliberto Fernández Perez (33 years old), and Hector Rivera (54 years old) from April to October 2020. He was involved in the business, which operated until then, and was sometimes involved in the resale of automobiles in the Dominican Republic. James said.
According to a senior prosecutor, the suspects are suspected of obtaining key code information through illegal websites and spying on cars, mainly targeting Hondas, before creating keys to break into and steal vehicles. .
Once they gained access to the car, they were able to reprogram the car’s computer system to gain complete control, disable the alarms and start the engine, James said.
They also allegedly succeeded in reprogramming stolen cars so that they could no longer recognize their true owners’ electronic keys.
Peña Brito was charged with second-degree criminal possession of stolen property and fourth-degree criminal conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of three years in state prison and was ordered to pay approximately $40,000 in restitution, authorities said. Announced.
Lebron Pimentel, 42, was sentenced to one year in prison, and Fernando Perez could also be sentenced to three years, the AG said.
“These individuals took advantage of New Yorkers who were at home during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and stole some of their most valuable assets,” James said in a statement. “We are now bringing them to justice, and we thank our local law enforcement partners for their cooperation and assistance in taking down this dangerous car theft ring and continuing to keep all New Yorkers safe.” ”
Prosecutors say the stolen car was taken to one of several parking lots in the Bronx, where the vehicle identification number was changed and fake plates and federal certification stickers were applied, replacing the genuine registration sticker. It is said that it was torn off.
Officials said Jesús Cabral, 58, was tasked with removing and replacing windshields and changing vehicle identification numbers.
Prosecutors said Norberto Peña Brito, 38, and Jose Lebron Pimentel, 42, also bought a stolen car from Carlos Valverde, 36.
Authorities said Willy Abreu Martinez, 41, and Abdul Khan, 58, purchased large quantities of cars for resale in both the United States and the Dominican Republic.
Leticia Saldivar, owner and operator of Carmella’s Multi-Service and Auto Tag in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, filed false vehicle documents with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to obtain a clean registration and title for a stolen vehicle. It is said that it was acquired.
“These sentences are the result of New York law enforcement’s tireless efforts to remove a highly active car theft ring from our streets,” NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban said in a statement. “NYPD detectives are committed to working with our colleagues at the State Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force to continue investigating and dismantling criminal activity like this that targets innocent New Yorkers.”
The removal came after an extensive two-year investigation by the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force and the New York City Police Department’s Motor Vehicle Crimes Unit.
