(TargetDailyNews.com) – Migrants in the country illegally were blamed by the NYPD for a sophisticated string of robberies targeting specific cell phone models. The gang of illegals is accused of robbing 62 women across the five boroughs; police arrested seven of the individuals believed to be involved in the operation on Monday during a raid in the Bronx.
All the illegals are Venezuelan nationals, and police alleged they’re using their ill-gotten gains in America to purchase houses, swimming pools, and luxury cars back in Venezuela.
Juan Uzcatgui, 23, and Cleyber Andrade, 20, were charged with 20 and 25 distinct charges for grand larceny, respectively. Roxanna Sahos, 24, faces charges of evidence tampering, and Alexander Dayker, 20, with charges of possession of stolen belongings. All are in the country illegally.
A shocking display of the robberies featured a woman who had her purse snatched by a suspect on a moped. The suspect dragged the woman for several feet before she slammed into a bicycle rack and he was able to drive off with her stolen purse. The incident was caught on surveillance camera footage.
That incident alone saw the victim lose her bag, keys, credit cards, cash, and ID.
Police believe a man named Victor Parra, 30, is the ringleader of the gang. They alleged that Parra used a WhatsApp group to relay instructions to his minions, telling them what type of phones he was currently seeking. Police said Parra used a tech guru to hack into the phones, steal any credit card or payment information, make illicit purchases, as well as access and empty their bank accounts. The phones are then shipped to Colombia.
The suspects busted on Monday were accused of stealing iPhones to abuse their Apple Pay software which lets users tie their phones to a credit card to make purchases with partnering retailers.
NYPD Chief Detective Joseph Kenny said the thieves used mopeds and scooters to facilitate the robberies and were paid $100/day in addition to hundreds of dollars per phone.
Mayor Eric Adams joined the NYPD for the sting wearing a bulletproof vest and a $700 Fendi scarf.
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