New York City residents have been terrorized by recent gangs who ride mopeds and snatch their phones and belongings, one of whom was a driver hired by Uber Eats. These thieves, identified as migrants, resell the phones after shipping them elsewhere. But this is not all, as the gang hires hackers to breach bank accounts and more. They clean their victims’ bank accounts before reselling the phones, according to the New York Police Department.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters that thieves were from different countries, including Venezuela, Ecuador, and Honduras, but the Venezuelans seem more organized, according to him.
He said the recent bust of a robbery ring was more sophisticated as they hacked into phones, stole people’s banking records, used the money to make purchases, made transfers, or withdrew cash. He said the thieves got into Venmo and Zelle accounts and cleared the money.
Kenny added that once the money in the victim’s accounts had been drained, the phones were shipped to Houston, Miami, and eventually to Colombia to be sold.
On Tuesday, one alleged member of the gang had been identified as Cleyber Andrade. The 19-year-old was arraigned in Manhattan court with $10,000 as bail. Police linked Andrade to a broader ring of thieves who have committed grand theft 62 times across New York City since November. One of these incidents includes a horrific assault against a 62-year-old woman three days after Christmas. Sources said that the woman was dragged across a Brooklyn street, and the appalling incident was caught on video.
The moped gang stole her bag, keys, phone, credit cards, and glasses. The video showed how viciously the team attacked people and stole their belongings, such as phones, purses, and more.
On Monday, the police arrested Andrade and his alleged accomplice, Juan Uzcatgui. He was also arraigned on Tuesday.
Both these alleged robbers named Venezuelan Victor Parra as the ringleader. Police are looking for him as he has been orchestrating these robberies for a long time. The 30-year-old arrived in New York City from Venezuela last year.
Although NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said that the vast majority of asylum seekers were not in gangs like the suspects, he acknowledged that it was difficult to investigate migrant suspects who committed crimes.
He said, “They’re essentially ghost criminals. No criminal history, photos, cell phone, or social media. Sometimes, we’re even unclear on a name or date of birth.”
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