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The network, which operated from the Bronx to the Dominican Republic, used hacked tracking data, bribed store employees, and organized package theft to steal millions of dollars worth of devices, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna said.
The crew used computer scripts to scrape tracking data from FedEx and a major U.S. cellular provider, court documents say. Bribed retail employees (including some who worked directly for the cell provider) leaked order details, tracking numbers, and customer addresses in exchange for cash, prosecutors said.
With that inside information, runners stole packages before customers could receive them and sold the devices through major “fence” operations in the Bronx and Brooklyn, officials said.
One suspect even called FedEx customer service to complain when a batch of stolen iPhones was intercepted, investigators said.
The 13 defendants, including suspects from Paterson, Belleville, Brooklyn, and the Bronx, played different roles in the scheme, prosecutors said: Dispatchers stole shipping data and sent runners to intercept packages. Runners physically stole shipments and resold them to black-market dealers. Fence operators bought and resold the stolen iPhones, iPads, and Samsung devices in bulk. Inside men working for the cellular provider leaked confidential order data.
Several defendants appeared in federal court in Newark on Thursday afternoon, officials said. Prosecutors identified them as:
Demetrio Reyes Martinez, a/k/a “CookieNerd,” 37, of the Dominican Republic, Andrickson Jerez, 28, of Bronx, NY, Edickson Lora Castillo, 24, of New York, NY, Raimond Cabrera De Leon, 31, of New York, NY, Luis Marte Tavares, 33, of Brooklyn, NY, Frederick Duverge Guzman, 26, of New York, NY, Julio Vasquez Sanchez, a/k/a “BotTrack,” 30, of Brooklyn, NY, Alejandro Then Castillo, 45, of Paterson, NJ, Wilson Peralta Tavarez, 28, of Belleville, NJ, Ecker Montero Hernandez, 25, of Paterson, NJ, Jean Luis Diaz Dominguez, a/k/a “Botija,” 24, of Paterson, NJ, Luis Nunez, 23, of Paterson, NJ, and Joel Suriel, a/k/a “La Melma,” 31, of Brooklyn, NY, were each charged in Count One of the Criminal Complaint unsealed today with conspiracy to transport and receive stolen property.
The suspects face serious federal charges, including conspiracy to transport stolen property, wire fraud, and theft, prosecutors said. The most serious offenses carry up to 20 years in federal prison and $250,000 in fines.
The bust follows a surge in over 400 package thefts targeting high-value electronics across New Jersey, prompting a multi-agency task force involving the FBI, Homeland Security, New Jersey State Police, and local departments across the state.
Officials credit the New Jersey State Police Real-Time Crime Center, Union County Prosecutor’s Office, and law enforcement agencies across dozens of towns for working together to take down the operation.
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