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The defendants from Newark, East Orange and Blackwood arrested in "Operation Dealer No Deal" targeted dealerships in Essex, Hudson, Bergen, and Union and took key fobs to steal the luxury vehicles off the lots, Acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck today said.
The defendants (listed below) were charged in connection with thefts of 22 vehicles valued at over $787,000 in May and June 2021, Bruck said. Fourteen were high-end vehicles, including Mercedes, BMWs, Land Rovers, Audis, Infinitis, and a Ford Raptor.
Ten vehicles and a safe containing approximately $52,000 in cash were stolen from an Irvington car dealership on June 4; five vehicles were stolen from a Jersey City dealership on June 10; and six vehicles were stolen from an Englewood dealership on June 14.
Another vehicle was stolen from a driveway in Moorestown, on May 19. The theft ring also allegedly burglarized a car dealership in Hillside, on June 10, stealing non-functioning key fobs.
- Khiree A. Smith, 29, of Newark, N.J.
- Brian Peppers, 30, of Newark, N.J.
- Kaiyir T. Green, 19, of Newark, N.J.
- Alquan A. Harris, 22, of East Orange, N.J.
- Tyheem A. Pollard-Raines, 27, of Blackwood, N.J.
- Sharieff N. Copeland, 25, of East Orange, N.J.
The DCJ Specialized Crimes Bureau obtained a state grand jury indictment on November 10 charging all defendants except Copeland with various offenses related to the burglaries at the car dealerships in Englewood, Jersey City, and Hillside, and the vehicle theft in Moorestown.
Those indicted defendants -- Smith, Peppers, Green, Harris, and Pollard-Raines -- were previously arrested on warrants issued in June. They are charged with second- or third-degree counts of theft, receiving stolen property, and burglary. All except Pollard-Raines also are charged with second-degree conspiracy.
Peppers and Smith are also charged in the indictment with second-degree eluding. During the course of the investigation, Peppers allegedly led a New Jersey state trooper in on an East Brunswick pursuit June 10, and Smith eluded a patrol officer of the Oceanport Police Department on June 11.
Each defendant allegedly drove away at high speed when the officer tried to stop the car.
Copeland was arrested Dec. 9, on newly filed charges alleging that he and Peppers participated -- along with other individuals who remain under investigation -- in the theft of 10 vehicles from the car dealership in Irvington on June 4.
Copeland and Peppers were charged by complaint-warrant on Nov. 16 with second-degree conspiracy to commit theft, second-degree conspiracy to commit receiving stolen property, and third-degree burglary.
Smith, Peppers, and Harris are being held in jail pending trial. Green and Pollard-Raines were released from custody. Copeland is lodged in the Essex County Correctional Facility pending a first appearance.
The complaint-warrants against Copeland and Peppers are posted here and here.
Deputy Attorney General Danielle Scarduzio is prosecuting the case for the Division of Criminal Justice Specialized Crimes Bureau, under the supervision of Deputy Bureau Chief Jacqueline Smith, Bureau Chief Erik Daab, and DCJ Deputy Director Annmarie Taggart.
The investigation by the New Jersey State Police MVCNU Auto Theft Task Force was led by Task Force member Detective Robert Dinsmore, who is on loan from the Warren Township Police Department. The Task Force is supervised by members of the New Jersey State Police Motor Vehicle Crimes North Unit.
Acting Attorney General Bruck thanked all of the members of the New Jersey State Police MVCNU Auto Theft Task Force and the many police departments across New Jersey who provided investigative assistance and support.
The following agencies contribute detectives and officers to the New Jersey State Police MVCNU Auto Theft Task Force:
- New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice
- Bernards Township Police Department
- Clifton Police Department
- Middletown Township Police Department
- Paramus Police Department
- Warren Township Police Department
- Westfield Township Police Department.
The investigation was led by the New Jersey State Police Motor Vehicle Crimes North Unit (MVCNU) Auto Theft Task Force and the Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) Specialized Crimes Bureau.
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