Posted on: May 10, 2025 01:55 PM

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Twenty defendants indicted in vehicle theft ring dubbed operation Hellcat

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch and New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James announced today that 20 defendants have been indicted and variously charged in a wide-ranging scheme to steal cars — from Hondas to Dodge Hellcats to BMWs, Mercedes-Benzes and Land Rovers — throughout New York City and its suburbs. Some of the vehicles were stolen out of owners’ driveways, some with the keys or key fobs inside. The vehicles — valued at more than $4.6 million — were often sold including through advertisements on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.

The indictments are the result of a three-year investigation by the Queens District Attorney’s office, the NYPD and New York State Police and it was dubbed Operation Hellcat. The defendants are 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.

District Attorney Katz said: “This is one of the most prolific and organized auto theft rings we have ever uncovered in New York City. With these indictments, we have dismantled a criminal enterprise that stole at least $4.6 million worth of vehicles from our streets and driveways. Our painstaking investigation employed undercover officers and court-authorized wiretaps to disrupt these determined car thieves. I thank our partners at the NYPD, New York State Police and National Insurance Crime Bureau for their professionalism and expertise during this investigation.”

Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said: “Today’s indictments mark a major victory in dismantling a sophisticated car theft ring operating across New York City. These criminals stole hundreds of vehicles, trafficking them across state lines and exploiting technology to bypass security. Thanks to the NYPD’s Auto Crime Unit, our law enforcement partners, and the Queens District Attorney’s office, these individuals are now facing justice. The NYPD will not tolerate those who target our communities and will use every resource to hold them accountable.”

New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James said: “This case underscores the importance of long-term, collaborative investigations in dismantling complex criminal enterprises. The individuals indicted operated with a level of coordination and sophistication that posed a serious threat to public safety across the tri-state area. I commend the dedicated members of the New York State Police Special Investigations Unit, our partners at the Queens District Attorney’s Office, the NYPD, and our law enforcement colleagues across multiple states whose commitment and expertise brought this operation to a successful conclusion.”

Fourteen defendants – Justin Santiago, Adrian Villegas, Bryan Bello, Enrique Lopez, Jennifer Nunez-Jimenez, Greg Lopez Febres, Angel Castillo, Roodler Pierre Louis, Jimmy Lopez Guzman, Jahfari Collier, Kevin Ochoa, Chandardat Singh, Usiamrin Chaleunsak and Franyeri Cabrera Morel – are charged in a 289-count indictment with enterprise corruption, grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property and conspiracy. Four of those defendants are additionally charged in separate indictments. SEE ADDENDUM

Six others – Nyron Ramkhelawan, Brayahan Agudelo, Ricky Jimenez, Roberto Mendez, Carlton Vaughn and Jessie Pinales – are charged separately.

Four defendants were arraigned Wednesday and nine were arraigned today before Supreme Court Justice David Kirschner. Two others are expected to be arraigned today. Two defendants have not been apprehended and three others are expected to be arraigned at a later date.

In April 2022, the Queens District’s Attorney’s Office began a joint investigation with the NYPD Auto Crimes Unit’s Major Case Team and the New York State Police Special Investigations Unit, Auto Theft Unit, Long Island into the theft of high-end vehicles in New York City and Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester Counties as well as New Jersey.

Investigators uncovered a highly coordinated auto theft enterprise with individuals who possessed specific skill sets and expertise – a theft group, social media brokers who advertised and sold cars, and black-market dealers and buyers, all of whom relied upon one another to target and steal cars.

Evidence revealed during the investigation tied the defendants to 126 stolen cars, 44 of which were purchased by undercover officers.

The thefts started in a low-tech manner targeting cars that were left unlocked with the key fobs inside. The alleged thieves then progressed to breaking into locked vehicles by using a screwdriver to punch out the driver’s side door lock or breaking car windows to gain access. Once inside, they used a handheld device to connect to the car’s onboard diagnostics system and program a new key fob.

The theft crew disabled the car’s navigation system and searched for, and disposed of, any tracking devices so the owner could not pinpoint the vehicle’s location.

At times, the defendants allegedly utilized scouts who identified high-end automobiles to steal. The scouts pinned the location of the car on a digital map and sent that information to the theft group. Members of theft crew then went out in groups of three to five to steal the cars.

Some of the stolen cars were parked for a short time on public streets so that, if a tracking system was still operable and police found the vehicle, it would not be traced to theft crew. The group also obscured the publicly visible vehicle identification number or VIN or changed the license plates to fake or stolen tags.

Once a car was stolen, the vehicles were often sold to brokers within the organization’s network and also advertised for sale in the New York City area through Facebook Marketplace, Instagram and Telegram.

The brokers quickly flipped the cars without altering the VINs, thus commanding below market prices — from approximately $1,000 to $6,000 per car.

Three of the defendants, including two men who live in Tennessee, were considered dealers who allegedly bought cars directly from other members of the ring to resell them.

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.

The undercover officers also purchased three firearms — a semi-automatic rifle and two pistols.

Sixteen defendants were arrested yesterday in New York and Tennessee.

One of the defendants had also been charged early this year after officers responded to a 911 call on January 2, 2025, of an auto theft of a 2022 Acura TLX in progress in Queens Village. An NYPD officer spotted the speeding Acura and followed it. The defendant allegedly exited the front passenger seat, tossed a laptop bag on the ground and began walking away before he was stopped by officers. A search of the bag found a key reprogramming device and several generic key fobs.

The investigation was conducted by members of the NYPD Auto Crime Unit’s Major Case Team under the supervision of Deputy Inspector Daniel Campbell and members of the New York State Police Special Investigations Unit, Auto Theft Unit, Long Island, under the supervision of Lieutenant Timothy Gould and under the overall supervision of Major James Browne.

From DA