WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2005
DA BROWN: RINGLEADER AND KEY PLAYERS OF “STOLEN TO ORDER” VEHICLE THEFT RING PLEAD GUILTY TO ENTERPRISE CORRUPTION
Stole Luxury Vehicles in Tri-State Area for Out-of State and Caribbean Underground Markets
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today that the ringleader of a sophisticated luxury vehicle theft ring and fifteen of his key players have pleaded guilty to felony charges stemming from a long-term probe into the ring.
District Attorney Brown said, “The defendants miscalculated their odds of getting caught and now must pay the price for their costly mistake by serving serious state prison time. According to the charges, the stolen vehicles and vehicle parts were sold to underground market brokers for shipment to Pennsylvania, Virginia and the Dominican Republic. Automobile theft drives up the cost of insurance for all New Yorkers. This case sends a clear signal to criminals that if they engage in these kind of illegal enterprises they will be apprehended and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
The defendants were members and associates of the “Simone Auto Theft Ring,” an organized criminal enterprise that operated in the New York City-metropolitan area and stole cars to order. The ringleader, Yamil Abraham (aka Simone), 38, of 830 West 177th Street in Manhattan, and other ring members have pleaded guilty to Enterprise Corruption under New York State’s Organized Crime Control Act and admitted to stealing to order $1 million in high-end vehicles – including Cadillac Escalades, GMC Yukons, Mercedes Benzs, Jaguars and other makes – for resale on the underground market in Pennsylvania, Virginia and the Dominican Republic.
The defendant Abraham appeared earlier today before Queens Supreme Court Justice John B. Latella, Jr. and pleaded guilty to Enterprise Corruption and Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the Third Degree. Sentencing is set for December 6, 2005, at which time Justice Latella indicated that he would sentence the defendant to 2˝ to 7˝ years in prison. In pleading guilty, Abraham admitted that he directed the theft of the vehicles, the alteration and/or stripping of them, as well as creating forged titles and vehicle identification information and the sale of them to others in the underground market. Abraham additionally admitted that he received a total of $2,000 for the illegal sale of a semi-automatic firearm -- a laser-equipped AT9 9mm Luger carbine. The other fifteen defendants previously plead guilty (see Addendum).
The investigation began in April 2004 and the charges were the result of a seven-month joint investigation by the New York City Police Department’s Organized Crime Control Bureau Auto Crime Division and the District Attorney’s Organized Crime and Rackets Bureau in cooperation with the National Insurance Crime Bureau, an insurance industry advocacy organization.
The criminal enterprise consisted of associates such as: “steal men” who stole vehicles and drove them back to the ring’s garage at 40-35 24th Street in Long Island City, Queens; “VIN/strip men” who altered vehicle identification numbers or dismantled stolen vehicles; “brokers” who handled underground sale of the stolen vehicles and vehicle parts; and a “locksmith” -- Kfir (Phil) Roth -- who supplied the ring with the keys necessary to steal the vehicles.
District Attorney Brown expressed his appreciation to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, especially to Agent Wayne Pollaci and Thomas Lohmann, the Acting Director of Area Seven Operations, for their cooperation and support in the investigation.
The investigation was conducted by Detective Teddy LePage under the supervision of Inspector Howard Lawrence, Captain Michael Byrne, Lieutenant Eugene Borelli and Sergeant James O’Brien of the NYPD Auto Crime Division and the overall supervision of Chief Douglas Ziegler of the NYPD Organized Crime Control Bureau.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Peri Alyse Kadanoff, Chief, Auto Crime and Insurance Frauds Unit, Ishak David Akyuz and Andrew Kaufman of the District Attorney’s Organized Crime and Rackets Bureau under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Gerard A. Brave, Chief, and Assistant District Attorney Marc Resnick, Deputy Chief, and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Peter A. Crusco and Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Linda M. Cantoni.
ADDENDUM
The following 7 defendants previously entered pleas of guilty to Enterprise Corruption and have been or will be sentenced to state prison terms ranging from one to six years in prison:
(1) “Strip Man” Rudy Gomez, 26, of 917 North Broadway in Yonkers, New York
(2) “Strip Man”Luis Rodriguez a.k.a. Papi, 43, of 13 Stanton Street in Manhattan
(3) “Steal Man” Eduardo Espinal a.k.a. Pato, 22, of 4923 8th Avenue in Brooklyn
(4) “Steal Man” Rafael Valdez a.k.a. Gordo, 20, of 1142 College Avenue in the Bronx
(5) “Steal Man” Edwin Rodriguez, 23, of 3649 Johnson Avenue in the Bronx
(6) “Broker” Oscar Wilfredo Rodriguez-Vega, 25, of 112 Travis Street in Manassas Park, Virginia
(7) “Broker” Jian Wen Lu, 28, of 3618 Lenox Street in Manassas Park, Virginia
Defendant Raymond Rios, Jr., 32, of 153 Arlington Avenue in Brooklyn pled guilty to Forgery in the Second Degree and was sentenced to two to four years in prison.
The following 4 defendants previously pleaded guilty to Attempted Enterprise Corruption, a class C felony, and were sentenced to conditional discharges:
(1) “Strip Man" Alfred Rodriguez a.k.a. Papucia, 26, of 108-54 45th Avenue in Corona, Queens
(2) “Steal Man” Edwin Bentances, 23, of 1711 Townsend Avenue in the Bronx
(3) “Steal Man” Amaury Cruz, 25, of 45 Argyle Road in Brooklyn
(4) “Steal Man” Emmanuel Rodriguez a.k.a. Gordo, 21, of 354 Wadsworth Avenue in Manhattan
The following 3 defendants have all pleaded guilty and were sentenced to conditional discharges:
(1) “Locksmith” Kfir Roth, 30, of 1454 East 12th Street in Brooklyn
(2) Maria Flores, 21, of 6213 Riverdale Road in Riverdale, New York
(3) Deivi Comas, 25, of 122 15th Street
in Brooklyn