Seven illegal immigrants were arrested by NYC police Monday after they went on a crime spree and stole wallets and phones from approximately 62 women across the city.
The migrants are believed to be Venezuelan and have been hit with charges that include grand larceny, tampering with evidence, and criminal possession of stolen property.
One of the arrested individuals has been identified by police as 30-year-old Victor Parra, who is the ringleader of the 14-member operation.
Police say that the operation involves migrants on scooters and mopeds who would grab purses and phones out of women’s hands on the street and in the subway system. The migrants hired a hacker to get into the phones in order to transfer money out of the victim’s bank accounts.
Migrant moped gang hired hacker to breach banking apps as NYPD reveals new details about ‘sophisticated’ high-tech crime ring https://t.co/XQ3NtcAaQM pic.twitter.com/L95HL3Gmrr
— New York Post (@nypost) February 7, 2024
OANN reports that the migrants would also use Apple Pay or Cash App to make purchases using the phones.
The phones were then sent to Columbia, where they were wiped clean.
According to NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, the cases have been challenging for investigators: “They’re essentially ghost criminals. No criminal history. No photos. No cell phone. No social media. Sometimes we’re even unclear on name or a date of birth. And on top of that these operations are extremely sophisticated.”
NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry posted a video on X of a press conference highlighting the operation:
Most migrants come to NYC in search of a better life. Sadly, some come to commit crimes.
While the rest of NYC was sleeping, @NYCMayor @NYPDChiefPatrol@NYPDDetectives joined @NYPDnews investigators & specialized teams as we carried out a search warrant — booming a door and… pic.twitter.com/1KkTHQ6HYC— NYPD Deputy Commissioner, Operations Kaz Daughtry (@NYPDDaughtry) February 5, 2024
NYC Mayor Eric Adams (D-NY) appeared at the press conference and stated that the situation has nothing to do with immigration: “This isn’t about the migrants and asylum seekers, this is about those who break the law. It doesn’t matter where you’re from and where you came from.”
In one incident, a video can be seen of two men on a moped dragging 62-year-old Irina Panteleeva across the pavement until she slammed into a metal bike rack. The men made off with her bag, keys, phone, credit cards, and glasses.
The suspects are 19-year-old Cleyber Andrade and 23-year-old Juan Uzcatgui, who are both part of the wider crime operation. Both were arrested by NYPD.
The NYPD is still searching for seven people involved in the crime operation.
