Attorney General James and NYPD Commissioner Shea take down auto theft ring linked to 225 vehicles
New York State Attorney General Letitia James and NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea on Tuesday announced charges against 10 alleged members of an auto theft and distribution operation, accusing them of the theft and/or criminal possession of 45 vehicles during a six-month period as well as their roles related to the theft and resale of more than 225 throughout New York City and Westchester.
The investigation — dubbed “Operation Master Key” due to the ability of the theft crews to create keys to gain access to vehicles — revealed auto theft crew members Norberto Pena Brito, Jose Lebron Pimentel, Edwin Hidalgo Estevez, Dariberto Fernandez Perez and Hector Rivera were responsible for locating, stealing, altering, and reselling stolen vehicles throughout New York City and Westchester, according to the New York State Attorney General’s Office.
From April 2020 to October 2020 — during the months the state was shut down due to the pandemic and New Yorkers stayed at home and parked their cars for days at a time — this crew allegedly scoped out and targeted cars to steal, obtained key code information for these vehicles from unlawful websites, and created keys that allowed them to breach and steal the vehicles.