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Panel Dalce was sentenced Friday, becoming the last person put behind bars as a result of a pair of investigations, dubbed "Operation Jacked" and "Operation 17 Corridor" aimed at carjackers and car thieves operating in Somerset, Bergen, Essex and a number of other counties.
More than 50 people have been arrested and charged for their involvement in theft rings in 2014 and 2015, with 250 vehicles recovered. Those vehicles are worth more than $12 million, according to authorities.
Carjacking was a common method for obtaining the vehicles, and the organized rings led to a spike in that type of crime that has since declined. Carjackings in the state peaked at 407 in 2012, according to authorities, but dropped by more than half during the crackdown. Carjackings dropped to 199 in 2014, 186 in 2015 and to 184 in 2016. They rose again in 2017, to 222, but dropped steeply last year to 132, according to preliminary figures for that year.
In addition to carjacking -- in which a weapon was often shown in order to force drivers to surrender their vehicles -- the rings used other methods to steal vehicles, including making purchases at dealerships with bad checks as well as taking unattended vehicles as they were idling.
“We made our communities safer with Operation Jacked and Operation 17 Corridor by arresting carjackers and completely dismantling criminal organizations that were providing a lucrative market for luxury stolen vehicles,” said Grewal. “We have sent the leaders and key players in these rings to prison, where they can no longer threaten residents with this dangerous type of street-level crime.”
Those charged in Operation Jacked are:
Kyle Champagnie, 32, of Irvington, a leader of the ring, pleaded guilty to first-degree financial facilitation of criminal activity and was sentenced to 14 years in prison with five years of parole ineligibility.
Leon Nii-Moi, 41, of Roselle, a leader of the ring, pleaded guilty to first-degree conspiracy and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Omar Smith, 45, of Newark, a leader of the ring, pleaded guilty to first-degree racketeering and was sentenced to eight years in prison with nearly seven years of parole ineligibility.
Yves Augustin, 30, of Rahway, a carjacker, pleaded guilty to conspiracy, armed robbery, and two counts of carjacking, all first-degree charges, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison with 12 years and nine months of parole ineligibility.
Kurtis Bossie, 27, of Newark, a carjacker, pleaded guilty to first-degree charges of conspiracy and carjacking and was sentenced to 18 years in prison with 8 ½ years of parole ineligibility.
Jim J. Bryant Jr., 28, of Newark, a carjacker, pleaded guilty to first-degree charges of conspiracy and carjacking and was sentenced to 10 years in prison with over five years of parole ineligibility.
Saladine Grant, 45, of East Orange, a high-level fence and thief, pleaded guilty to first-degree financial facilitation of criminal activity and was sentenced to 12 years in prison with four years of parole ineligibility.
Deandre Stevenson, 47, of Newark, a high-level fence and thief, pleaded guilty to first-degree financial facilitation of criminal activity and second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon and was sentenced to 12 years in prison with four years of parole ineligibility.
James Hemphill, 47, of Belleville, a high-level fence and thief, pleaded guilty to first-degree financial facilitation of criminal activity and was sentenced to seven years in prison with three years of parole ineligibility.
Standford Oduro, 66, of Bloomfield, a shipper, pleaded guilty to second-degree racketeering and was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Craig Boone, 44, of Newark, a thief who purchased vehicles with bad checks, pleaded guilty to second-degree conspiracy and was sentenced to seven years in prison with three years of parole ineligibility.
Robert Alexander, 43, of Newark, a thief who purchased vehicles with bad checks, pleaded guilty to second-degree theft by deception and was sentenced to five years in prison.
Abdur Abdullah, 38, of Tuckerton, a fence and thief, pleaded guilty to second-degree conspiracy and was sentenced to five years in prison with three years of parole ineligibility.
Demarco Sparks, 46, of Newark, a fence and thief, pleaded guilty to second-degree racketeering and was sentenced to five years in prison with 2 ½ years of parole ineligibility.
Malik Baker, 26, of Vauxhall, a thief, pleaded guilty to second-degree racketeering and was sentenced to five years in prison with two years of parole ineligibility.
Ibn Traynham, 43, of Newark, a vehicle re-tagger and thief, pleaded guilty to second-degree conspiracy and was sentenced to five years in prison with two years of parole ineligibility.
Daniel Hunt, 42, of East Orange, a thief, pleaded guilty to second-degree conspiracy and was sentenced to five years in prison with 18 months of parole ineligibility.
Steve McGraw, 40, of Newark, a thief, pleaded guilty to second-degree conspiracy and was sentenced to five years in prison with 18 months of parole ineligibility.
Kevin Collins, 45, of Neptune, a wheel man who moved stolen cars for the ring, pleaded guilty to second-degree receiving stolen property and was sentenced to five years in prison.
Johnnie Davila, 32, of Cherry Hill, a thief, pleaded guilty to second-degree receiving stolen property and was sentenced to five years in prison.
Fate Lucas, 30, of Maplewood, a thief, pleaded guilty to second-degree conspiracy and was sentenced to five years in prison.
Seven additional lower-level defendants pleaded guilty to third-degree charges and were sentenced to terms of probation, in one case including a county jail term of 288 days.
Those charged in Operation 17 Corridor are :
Ibn Jones, 41, of Newark, a leader of the ring, pleaded guilty to first-degree racketeering and was sentenced to 12 years in prison with more than 10 years of parole ineligibility.
Tyja Evans, 43, of Watchung, a leader of the ring, pleaded guilty to first-degree financial facilitation of criminal activity and was sentenced to 12 years in prison with six years of parole ineligibility.
Eddie Craig, 40, of Beverly, a leader of the ring, pleaded guilty to first-degree racketeering and was sentenced to nine years in prison with over 7 ½ years of parole ineligibility.
Rashawn Gartrell, 40, of Irvington, a carjacker/car thief/wheel man, pleaded guilty to first-degree financial facilitation of criminal activity and was sentenced to 12 years in prison with five years of parole ineligibility.
Kenneth Daniels, 34, of Newark, a car thief and wheel man, pleaded guilty to first-degree racketeering and was sentenced to 10 ½ years in prison with nearly nine years of parole ineligibility. Daniels was shot and wounded by a state trooper on March 18, 2015, when he drove a stolen Porsche at troopers and rammed a State Police vehicle
Derrick Moore, 40, of Newark, a carjacker/car thief/wheel man, pleaded guilty to first-degree racketeering and was sentenced to 10 years in prison including 8 ½ years of parole ineligibility.
Nasir Turner, 40, of Newark, a carjacker/car thief/wheel man, pleaded guilty to first-degree racketeering and was sentenced to 10 years in prison including 8 ½ years of parole ineligibility.
Donnell Carroll, 32, of East Orange, a car thief and wheel man, pleaded guilty to first-degree racketeering and was sentenced to 10 years in prison including 8 ½ years of parole ineligibility.
Levell Burnett, 43, of East Orange, a fence, pleaded guilty to second-degree racketeering and was sentenced to eight years in prison with four years of parole ineligibility.
Frazier Gibson, 33, of Montclair, a fence, pleaded guilty to second-degree racketeering and was sentenced to seven years in prison with 3 ½ years of parole ineligibility.
Julian Atta-Poku, 37, of Queens Village, N.Y., a fence, pleaded guilty to second-degree conspiracy and was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Peter Cleland, 36, of Belleville, a shipper and high-level fence, pleaded guilty to second-degree receiving stolen property and was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Damion Mikell, 37, of East Orange, a fence, pleaded guilty to second-degree racketeering and was sentenced to six years in prison with two years of parole ineligibility.
Eric Aikens, 44, of Newark, a fence, pleaded guilty to second-degree racketeering and was sentenced to six years in prison with two years of parole ineligibility.
Alterique Jones, 44, of Maplewood, a car thief and wheel man, pleaded guilty to second degree racketeering and was sentenced to six years in prison with two years of parole ineligibility.
Manuel Olivares, 48, of Jersey City, a shipper and high-level fence, pleaded guilty to second-degree racketeering and was sentenced to six years in prison.
Panel Dalce, 47, of South Orange, a shipper and high-level fence, pleaded guilty to second-degree racketeering and was sentenced to five years in prison, but the sentence was suspended.
Marquis Price, 36, of Newark, a car thief and wheel man, pleaded guilty to second degree racketeering and was sentenced to six years in prison.
Terrence Wilson, 43, of Newark, a car thief and wheel man, pleaded guilty to second-degree conspiracy and was sentenced to five years in prison with 30 months of parole ineligibility.
Adam Fofana, 57, of Teaneck, a shipper and high-level fence, pleaded guilty to second-degree racketeering and was sentenced to five years in prison.
Alpha Jalloh, 30, of Brooklyn, N.Y., a shipper and high-level fence, pleaded guilty to second-degree racketeering and was sentenced to five years in prison.
Four additional lower-level defendants pleaded guilty to third-degree charges and were sentenced to terms of probation, in one case including a county jail term of 270 days. Another defendant pleaded guilty to second-degree receiving stolen property and was admitted to Drug Court.
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