Northeast
Illegal masterminds of NYC robbery ring hacked bank apps, resold stolen phones overseas
New York City police announced a property crime crackdown and several arrests Monday after a raid on a migrant robbery ring with ties to Venezuela and a method involving using powered scooters — as a group of suspects in an attack on the NYPD remains unaccounted for.
“In recent months, a wave of migrant crime has washed over our city, but by no means do the individuals committing these crimes represent the vast number of people coming to New York to build a better life,” NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said during an afternoon news briefing.
He likened the gang to a group of ghosts — undocumented illegal immigrants with no phones, no social media and sometimes no known names or dates of birth.
Many of the suspects live in the migrant shelter system and recently arrived in the U.S., according to NYPD leaders.
NYPD RELEASES MIGRANT RAID PHOTOS AS SOFT-ON-CRIME LEADERS FACE NATIONAL OUTRAGE
A police display shows a group of suspects in the New York City robbery ring unveiled Monday. (Julia Bonavita/Fox News Digital)
Speaking at a news briefing Monday afternoon, NYPD leaders named eight suspects in connection with the ring: alleged mastermind Victor Parra, as well as Cleyber Andrada, Juan Uzcatgui, Yan Jimenez, Anthony Ramos, Richard Saledo, Beike Jimenez and Maria Manaura.
Parra would allegedly send out a notice for specific models of phones he wanted, linking crooks from around the Big Apple who may not have even known one another for robbery missions, police said. Next, they would steal scooters and hit the streets to swipe phones and purses away from victims.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams photographed after the raid Monday morning. (X/@NYPDDaughtry)
A “tech guy” would then allegedly hack the stolen phones, access banking and financial apps and drain the accounts, police said. If they ran dry or the owners placed a lock on their money, the stolen phones would then be sent around the country or to Colombia to be reprogrammed and sold.
ILLEGALS WHO CAUGHT BUS OUT OF NYC AFTER ATTACK ON POLICE MAY HAVE GOTTEN FREE RIDE FROM US TAXPAYERS: SOURCES
Police made a round of arrests late Sunday and served a search warrant in the Bronx early Monday morning, authorities said.
The warrant was on Parra’s home, but he wasn’t there. Police recovered 22 stolen phones and arrested the “tech guy” inside, however.
Most of the suspects lived in the city’s migrant shelter system, police said. The ring targeted four of the city’s five boroughs, with only Staten Island spared.
Assistant Commissioner Kaz Daughtry posted a series of photos Monday after the NYPD cracked down on a group of migrants suspected in a pattern robbery ring that victimized more than 60 people. (X/@NYPDDaughtry)
NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell told FOX 5 New York earlier in the day that a spike in robberies and purse snatching involving mopeds or scooters had a direct correlation with the current migrant crisis, which has overwhelmed the Big Apple.
“Big impact on crime, this migrant Venezuelan crew that’s preying on our city,” Chell said. “We cannot have this anymore. We’ve gotta stop it.”
NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell speaks to the media from the NYPD Headquarters in Manhattan, New York on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. Officials addressed the arrests of illegal immigrants early Monday morning linked to numerous gang robberies. (Julia Bonavita/Fox News Digital)
While police spoke sternly about the immigration problem, Adams blamed Republicans in Washington for the issue and noted that out of nearly 200,000 migrants and asylum seekers who have recently arrived in New York City, only a handful have been charged with the organized crime ring.
A migrant charged with assaulting two NYPD officers in Times Square flipped off reporters Wednesday. (Steven Hirsch/New York Post)
“Republicans have blocked real immigration reform for many years,” Adams said. “It is time for us to deal with this real issue that is impacting cities, not only New York.”
Separately, several of the suspects seen kicking a pair of NYPD officers in the head on security video last week have ties to a Venezuelan theft ring, according to law enforcement sources.
There was no firm connection between the robbery ring and the police assault, except that both groups had ties to Venezuelan nationals and the migrant shelters.
Separately, investigators said earlier Monday that the arrests were also tied to a “Venezuelan crew” suspected in more than 60 purse and phone robberies around the city. But there was no evidence that the two separate groups share a connection.
But critics say New York’s Democrat-led bail reforms, which allow many criminals to walk free shortly after their arrests, make any kind of law enforcement crackdown worthless.
Police taking a suspect into custody outside the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan. (FNTV)
Even Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul criticized the progressive Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg last week after his office failed to have the court set bail for almost all of the NYPD attack suspects.
MIGRANT ARRESTED IN SPAT WITH POLICE AFTER SHOWING OFF NYPD ATTACK VIDEO
Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams is pictured during briefing at the Javits Federal Building, New York City, April 17, 2023. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“We all have a role here,” Adams told reporters. “The role of the police department is to arrest, the role of the prosecutors, is to prosecute, and the role of the federal government, if a person is found guilty of a crime, is to deport.”
When asked if he would be willing to dismantle New York’s sanctuary city policies, the mayor laughed and deflected.
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“There’s a law in this city that states what we can do with migrants and asylum seekers and undocumented,” he added. “That’s the law. I didn’t pass that law.”
The most recent police statistics, which cover the month of January, show a slight dip in crime compared to the same month in 2023.
Robberies, however, continue to climb — rising by 5.4% last month and 9% year over year as of Sunday morning.
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Boston, MA
Charlotte plays Boston on 5-game win streak
Charlotte Hornets (31-31, ninth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Boston Celtics (41-20, second in the Eastern Conference)
Boston; Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. EST
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Celtics -6.5; over/under is 214.5
BOTTOM LINE: Charlotte is looking to keep its five-game win streak alive when the Hornets take on Boston.
The Celtics are 27-13 against Eastern Conference opponents. Boston is sixth in the NBA with 46.2 rebounds led by Nikola Vucevic averaging 8.8.
The Hornets are 19-21 in conference matchups. Charlotte is 7-8 when it turns the ball over less than its opponents and averages 15.0 turnovers per game.
The Celtics average 15.5 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.7 more made shots on average than the 12.8 per game the Hornets allow. The Hornets average 16.0 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.1 more made shots on average than the 13.9 per game the Celtics allow.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jaylen Brown is averaging 29 points, 7.1 rebounds and five assists for the Celtics. Payton Pritchard is averaging 17 points and 5.8 assists over the past 10 games.
Kon Knueppel is averaging 19.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists for the Hornets. Brandon Miller is averaging 22.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Celtics: 8-2, averaging 109.4 points, 50.7 rebounds, 27.1 assists, 6.1 steals and 6.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 98.5 points per game.
Hornets: 7-3, averaging 117.3 points, 47.8 rebounds, 27.4 assists, 8.5 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 45.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.2 points.
INJURIES: Celtics: Jayson Tatum: out (achilles), Neemias Queta: day to day (rest).
Hornets: Coby White: day to day (injury management).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Pittsburg, PA
2 young girls found dead in suitcases in Cleveland, police say
The bodies of two young girls were found inside suitcases in Cleveland, Ohio, police said on Tuesday.
In a press conference, Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd said on Tuesday that the bodies of the two girls were found in suitcases buried in shallow graves on Monday evening. One of the girls was believed to be between the ages of 8 and 13 years old, while the other was believed to be 10 to 14 years old. Neither girl was identified as of Tuesday night.
“This is a priority,” Todd said during Tuesday’s press conference. “This is a traumatic event for our officers, for the community, and this is just such a tragic incident, but we are trying to develop any leads we can.”
Police said there are no active missing persons reports in Cleveland that match the two victims.
Officials said someone walking their dog near East 162nd Street and Midland Avenue found what appeared to be a body inside a suitcase around 6 p.m. on Monday. When officers responded to the scene near Ginn Academy, they found one of the bodies stuffed in a suitcase in a shallow grave. The second shallow grave with the body stuffed in a suitcase was found after officers searched the area.
“This is a field close to the school over there,” Todd said. “This is just a residential neighborhood that I’m sure a lot of people do frequent.”
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office has custody of the bodies and will identify the girls. Todd said there is no clear indication of possible causes of death for the girls or how long the girls were there.
“It was some time, so it’s not something that was recent,” Todd said.
There is no suspect, Todd added. Anyone with information can contact the Cleveland police at 216-623-5464.
“Usually in residential areas, you know what’s happening in your neighborhood, something just seems a little bit off,” Todd said. “That’s why we’re asking that anyone who has anything that they believe to be information directly related to or suspicious, that they give us a call.”
Connecticut
Multiple cars involved in crash on I-84 in Hartford
A multi-vehicle crash temporarily close Interstate 84 on Tuesday night.
The crash happened around 8:30 p.m. and involved four cars, according to the Hartford Fire Department.
Fire crews arrived at the scene and helped one of the drivers who was trapped. The driver was then taken to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment.
Four other people reported minor injuries but declined ambulance treatment at the scene, officials said.
I-84 East was temporarily shut down as crews responded but has since reopened.
The Connecticut State Police is investigating the crash.
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