New York law enforcement officials reported that 20 men and women have been indicted and charged with participating in a scheme to steal cars throughout New York City and its suburbs.
The vehicles — which officials said were valued at more than $4.6 million — were often resold to brokers within the organization or through advertisements on Facebook and Instagram. Police said the brokers flipped the cars without altering the vehicle identification numbers (VIN) thus commanding below market prices — from approximately $1,000 to $6,000 per car.
The cars included Hondas, Dodge Hellcats, BMWs, Mercedes-Benzes and Land Rovers. Some of the vehicles were stolen out of owners’ driveways, some with the keys or key fobs inside. .
The indictments are the result of a three-year investigation dubbed Operation Hellcat by the Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, the New York City Police Department and New York State Police.
According to the district attorney’s office, the defendants have been charged with the larcenies and criminal possession of 126 cars, 44 of which were purchased by undercover officers. The investigation involved the use of court-authorized wiretaps and also resulted in the seizure of three weapons including a semi-automatic rifle, officials said.
The stolen cars included 38 Acuras, 24 Hondas, 23 BMWs, 20 Dodges and three Jeeps. Fifty-two cars were stolen in Queens, 25 in Brooklyn, 14 in Nassau County, 10 in the Bronx, 10 in Westchester County, nine in Staten Island, three in Suffolk County, one in Manhattan, one in New Jersey and one in Massachusetts.
Sixteen of the defendants were arrested yesterday in New York and Tennessee.
Topics Fraud
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