Posted on: December 17, 2020 03:00 PM

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Tire and rim crew street crew busted for swiping expensive wheels and leaving cars on crates in Queens

NYPD reported of 3 people busted for stealing Honda wheels in various parts of Queens from November 2019 to May 2020. The alleged ringleader Jonathan Pacheco, 30 of Corona, the main defendant and when it became known that he was wanted by police, he fled the state. Pacheco was apprehended in Pennsylvania and extradited to Queens this week to face charges. Pacheco?s co-defendants are Fabian Rodriguez, 33 of Corona and Jacob Martinez, 29 of Brooklyn. All three men are variously charged in three complaints with auto stripping in the first degree, criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree and grand larceny in the fourth degree. According to the charges, on November 7, 2019, Pacheco is observed on video surveillance around 12:32 a.m. in the vicinity of 233rd Street in Oakland Gardens. He parked his Subaru directly across from a 2019 Honda Civic and with an unknown accomplice allegedly removed the lug nuts from the Honda?s wheels and took all four tires and rims. Over the course of six months, the crew struck in Bellerose, Hollis, Forest Hills, Middle Village, Fresh Meadows, Flushing, Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Glendale, Jamaica Hills, Bayside, Maspeth and Rego Park. The Queens DA's office reported that defendant Pacheco participated in a total of 14 steals and made deals to sell the stolen tires and rims to a buyer he did not know was an undercover detective. In January and February 2020, Pacheco offered to sell the tires and rims to his ?buyer? and set up a meeting to exchange eight stolen tires and rims for a total of $1350 cash. In all, the defendants allegedly stole up to approximately $42,000 worth of tires and rims. If convicted, Pacheo is heading to jail for 7 years along with Rodriguez. Martinez, if convicted is heading for 4 years.