What to Know
- Seven men face charges in connection with an alleged multi-million dollar national stolen car ring, New York prosecutors announced Thursday
- The alleged stolen car ring involved about 60 stolen car ring involved about 60 stolen cars worth approximately $3.1 million
- The men have been charged with conspiracy and the possession, sale, and transportation of stolen cars
Seven men are facing charges in connection with an alleged multi-million dollar national stolen car ring, New York prosecutors announced Thursday.
According to Geoffrey S. Berman, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, the alleged stolen car ring involved about 60 stolen cars worth approximately $3.1 million.
Four of the men were arrested Thursday and will be presented in White Plains federal court, while the other three suspects were arrested and will be presented before federal judges in Florida, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.
According to court documents, from October 2017 through November 2018, Marvin Williams, Nicholas “Robbie” Nixon, Jason Higney, Besar Ismaili, Steven Klein, Lashaumba Randolph and Abdurahamin Shabazz allegedly operated a stolen car ring during which they received stolen cars from Michigan and Florida, among other places.
Prosecutors allege the men then transported the cars to New York and Connecticut, as well as other places, to resell and created or obtained false titles, registration and temporary license plates for the stolen cars.
Allegedly, the ring used the false records to deceive car buyers and the South Dakota Division of Motor Vehicles and used online markets to find buyers for the stolen cars, including in New York.
Local
Williams, 32, of Torrington, Connecticut, Dixon, 43, of Tamarac, Florida, Higney, 39, of Terryville, Connecticut, and Klein, 55, of Easton, Connecticut, are each charged with the sale or transportation of stolen vehicles and conspiracy to do the same, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, according to authorities.
Ismaili, 37, of Waterbury, Connecticut, Randolph, 44, of Atlanta, Georgia, and Shabazz, 45, of Providence, Rhode Island, are each charged with conspiracy to sell and transport stolen vehicles, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Attorney information for each of the men was not immediately available.
“They stole from rightful owners and used a criminal network of thieves, fraudsters, and forgers to line their pockets, all while driving themselves around in stolen Lamborghinis, Range Rovers, and other pilfered prizes,” Berman said in a statement, adding, “with our partners at the FBI and the State Police, we have slapped a boot onto these fast-paced heists, and will now tow the defendants off to justice.”
