Gang Convicted in Operation Redline: Unmasking the Criminals Behind 200 Robberies in New York

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the conviction of six members of a gang responsible for more than 200 robberies at car dealerships, cell phone stores and ATM businesses located in the Lower Hudson Valley. , New York City and Long Island.

The gang composed of Willie Baines, Josepher Cartagena, Brandon Collazo-Rivera, Justin Herrera, Douglas Noble and Alexander Santiago, all of Bronx County, allegedly stole cars, cell phones, merchandise and cash valued at more than $3 million, including at least 54 vehicles.

The convictions were the result of a 13-month joint investigation by the Attorney General’s Office Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF), the City Police Department’s Auto Crimes Unit of New York Police Department (NYPD) and 29 local and county police departments.

“The six convicted and sentenced individuals embarked on a crime spree that affected businesses and residents throughout southern New York,” said Attorney General James.

“These robbers left a trail of broken glass, vandalized businesses, and dangerous high-speed chases in their wake. I thank my partners in local law enforcement for their coordination and support as we dismantled this dangerous gang. Our communities are safer now that these six individuals have been brought to justice,” he added.

“This is one of those cases that highlights the extraordinary cooperation between multiple police departments and agencies in the New York metropolitan area,” said NYPD Police Commissioner Edward A. Caban.

“The NYPD Motor Crimes Unit is proud to have worked with the New York State Attorney’s Office and all other departments involved in bringing this brazen gang of thieves to justice,” he added.

Operation Redline: Criminal Gang Linked to 200 Robberies in 11 New York Counties

During the 13-month investigation, the robbery ring was linked to more than 200 commercial burglaries in 11 southern counties, including Westchester County.

The investigation revealed that members of the robbery gang traveled to neighborhoods containing several car dealerships and cell phone stores, often robbing multiple stores in a single night.

In car dealership robberies, gang members would break large windows in the front of the building, place boxes in the dealership containing electronic keys, and then drive vehicles that they could start directly through the broken windows.

In cell phone and ATM store robberies, gang members broke glass entrance doors, entered store showrooms and offices, and stole as much merchandise and cash as they could take.

The robber gang often waited for police to respond to a burglary alarm and then engaged in high-speed chases from the crime scene, posing additional risks to law enforcement and the surrounding community.

This behavior led law enforcement to dub the investigation “Operation Redline,” in reference to the red line on speedometers and the extreme speeds the thieves reached while fleeing the crime scene.

Criminal Hunt: How the 6 accused of the robbery gang in New York were unmasked

OCTF and NYPD investigators were able to identify the six individuals charged in the case through review of video surveillance recordings, cell phone data, license plate reader data, and information provided by numerous county and local police departments.

A search of the residences of two of the individuals led to the recovery of thousands of dollars in stolen cell phones and car dealership key fobs.

In addition, several of the defendants published photographs on various social networks posing with some of the stolen vehicles and showing large amounts of cash.

Many of the social media posts occurred minutes after the crimes, allowing investigators to link stolen property seen in the posts to specific robberies and defendants.

The investigation involved the cooperation of numerous local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, and Attorney General James recognized the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Task Force in the New Haven, Connecticut, and Westchester offices. County, New York, and the Sheriff’s Services of the Eastern Districts of New York and Connecticut.

Attorney General James also thanked her local law enforcement partners for their close coordination, including the Westchester County Police Department, the Yonkers Police Department, the Mount Pleasant Police Department, the of New Rochelle, the White Plains Police Department, the Greenburgh Police Department, the Tarrytown Police Department and the Mamaroneck Police Department.

The six defendants faced several counts of Grand Theft in the Second Degree (Class C crime), Grand Theft in the Third Degree (Class D crime) and Theft in the Third Degree (Class D crime).

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2023-09-08 03:00:00
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