Rhode Island
4 RI men charged in multistate theft ring targeting luxury vehicles. What to know.
How to Protect Your Car from Catalytic Converter Theft
Catalytic converter thefts are on the rise due to the valuable metals inside. Learn about the surge in thefts and effective ways to safeguard your vehicle from becoming the next target.
PROVIDENCE – Four young men from Rhode Island have been named in an indictment that accuses them of stealing about 120 high-end vehicles, worth about $5 million, from 12 dealerships in other states last year.
The four conspirators, including two Providence men, a Cranston man and a North Providence man, targeted auto and motorcycle dealerships across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha said in a news release.
The men took Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Land Rover and other vehicles in a conspiracy that was investigated by the FBI with help from numerous local police departments, federal prosecutors say.
Law enforcement has recovered 41 stolen vehicles and 11 dirt bikes, securing most of the vehicles in either Rhode Island or Massachusetts, they say.
A $96,000 Jeep
A surveillance video obtained by Providence police shows two men, who look like two of the conspirators, putting a cover over a vehicle valued at $96,000, prosecutors say.
The scene, which involved a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, unfolded in a Providence driveway last year, prosecutors say.
Chilling footage before domestic murder-suicide sparks debate: Should the public watch?
The Jeep and three other vehicles, they say, had been taken from a dealership in Hempstead, New Hampshire, two days before.
Another SUV stolen by the group, a Range Rover, was found in a shipping container in Elizabeth, New Jersey, prosecutors say. The container was bound for Africa.
Stolen motorcycles in a North Providence garage
In another case, the conspirators stole 19 premium Husqvarna motorcycles from a dealership in Phillipston, Massachusetts, according to prosecutors. The motorcycles were found in the garage of a conspirator who lives in North Providence, the release said.
Rhode Island men accused of leading roles in multi-million dollar theft ring. What we know.
The same 28-year-old defendant brokered stolen vehicles to a network of associates, including some people who lived in Rhode Island, prosecutors say.
Seven Rhode Island police agencies provided substantial assistance to the FBI, according to the release.
Six Massachusetts police organizations as well as criminal investigators from the Internal Revenue Service and the National Insurance Crime Bureau also assisted in the investigation, prosecutors say.