Last night and early this morning the NYPD's Auto Crime unit, along with the Attorney General's office, went about dismantling a sophisticated and large car theft and resale ring which they say stole hundreds of cars worth more than $100 million dollars. The bust, which pulled in 18 alleged crooks, came after a nine-month investigation based on a tip.
According to the indictment, the crew used a "highly developed chain of command" which included an alleged boss (William Cruz, 28), “steal men” who would—you guessed it—steal the cars, individuals who produced illegal paperwork and two Toyota dealership employees who provided critical information to manufacture counterfeit keys.
The scheme, as described by the police, was elegant in its simplicity. Cruz would take orders for luxury cars, sometimes from international buyers, and direct his steal men to locate the Toyota and Lexus cars around Brooklyn and Queens. When they spotted them the "steal men" would copy the car's Vehicle Information Numbers (VINs) which were then used to manufacture counterfeit keys. The steal men, on their return trips, would simply drive away with the hot cars. After that they'd strip the vehicles of their identification, make some new documentation (somehow cans of Red Bull were involved) and resell them. According to Police Commissioner Ray Kelly the gang would also sometimes use “a smart key device that plugs into the steering wheel’s compartment," which also allowed the the thieves "to start the engine and drive away."
Authorities have so far gotten back 42 of at least 291 cars stolen, including Range Rovers and Lexus SUVs, valued at $1.6 million bucks. Reportedly the gang was reselling them for as low as $3,000 to $5,000. Sixteen of the 18 people arrested in the case will be charged with enterprise corruption, a class B felony that carries mandatory prison time.
