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For
Immediate Release: |
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For
Further Information Contact: |
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October
20, 2005
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Office
of The Attorney General
-
Peter C. Harvey,
Attorney General
Division
of Criminal Justice
- Vaughn L. McKoy, Director
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John
R. Hagerty
609-984-1936
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Operators
of North Jersey Stolen Merchandise Ring
Plead Guilty to Fencing More than $1 Million
in Stolen Goods
Operation “Enterprise”
Purchased Stolen Weapons, Construction
Equipment, Motorcycles, High-End Clothing
& Electronics, Medical Supplies, Toys,
Cosmetics, and Other Commodities...
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Morris
County - Attorney General Peter C. Harvey
announced that eight members of a North
Jersey fencing operation charged with
trafficking and selling more than one
million dollars in stolen goods and merchandise
pleaded guilty today in Morris County
Superior Court to fencing-related charges.
As a result of the guilty pleas, the defendants
face a combined 33 years in state and
county prison when sentenced on Dec. 20.
Attorney General Harvey said the guilty
pleas resulted from a sweeping investigation
conducted by the Division of Criminal
Justice -- “Operation Enterprise”
-- which targeted a group of North Jersey
individuals engaged in the large-scale
highjacking of truck cargo and the theft
of merchandise from storage warehouses
throughout the North Jersey area. Through
“Operation Enterprise,” the
Division of Criminal Justice established
a working warehouse as an undercover location
where individuals dealing in large quantities
of stolen merchandise were able to “fence”
the items to persons they believed were
re-selling the goods to “select”
buyers.
According to Criminal Justice Director
Vaughn L. McKoy, the following defendants
pleaded guilty before Morris County Superior
Court Judge Samuel Ahto:
- Nicholas
“Luis Ifer” Lucarello,
29, 378 Warburton Ave., Hawthorne, Passaic
County. Pled guilty to Fencing (2nd
degree) - will be sentenced to eight
years in state prison;
- Joseph
Zarillo,
33, 1 Crestwood Ave. Fairfield, Essex
County. Pled guilty to Fencing (2nd
degree) - will be sentenced to four
years in State Prison;
- Aexander
Zaccaro,
Sr. (Skippy Sr.), 58, 329 Mt. Pleasant
Ave., West Paterson, Passaic County.
Pled guilty to Fencing (2nd degree)
- will be sentenced to three years in
State Prison;
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Alexander Zaccaro,
Jr. (Skippy Jr.), 38, 52 Big Piece Road,
Fairfield, Essex County. Pled guilty
to Fencing (2nd degree) - will be sentenced
to eight years in State Prison.
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Carmen Russo,
39, 6 Renaissance Drive, Clifton, Passaic
County. Pled guilty to Fencing (2nd
degree) - will be sentenced to five
years in State Prison;
- Frank
Jones,
43, 79 Pershing Ave., Cartaret, Middlesex
County. Pled guilty to Fencing (2nd
degree) - will be sentenced to 364 days
in the Morris County Jail;
- Lucia
Lucarello,
31, 378 Warburton Ave., Hawthorne, Passaic
County. Pled guilty to Failure to Pay
Gross Income Tax (3rd degree) - will
be sentenced to a term of probation3-5
years/15,000 fine); and
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Thomas Gardner,
48, 104 Edinburgh Ct., Jacksonville,
NC. Pled guilty to Fencing (2nd degree)
- will be sentenced to four years in
State Prison.
Director McKoy said the defendants were
charged via a 33-count State Grand Jury
indictment returned on March 17, 2005,
with varying counts of conspiracy to commit
racketeering, leader of a firearms trafficking
network, money laundering, fencing, distribution
of a controlled dangerous substance, the
possession and unlawful sale or disposition
of assault weapons and large-capacity
ammunition magazines, and tax law violations.
McKoy noted that Operation “Enterprise”
established the existence of a group of
individuals involved in the “underground
or black market” business of brokering
large amounts of stolen merchandise. The
criminals developed a network of prearranged
drop locations for the storage of stolen
merchandise; separate locations for the
delivery of the stolen goods being fenced
for resale; and different meeting locations
for the exchange of cash. During the course
of the year-long investigation, State
Investigators from the Division of Criminal
Justice - Organized Crime & Racketeering
Bureau posed as “fences” interested
in purchasing any and all types of stolen
merchandise. As a result of the undercover
investigative efforts, State Investigators
successfully negotiated the purchase of
more that one million dollars worth of
stolen equipment, merchandise, and commodities.
As the investigation expanded, State Investigators
brokered not only the sale of stolen cargo
and merchandise, but illegal drugs, narcotics
and weapons, including prohibited assault
weapons.
The State Grand Jury indictment charged
that from November, 2003 through March,
2005, Operation “Enterprise”
purchased stolen merchandise including
medical supplies, electronics, construction
equipment, high-end clothing, toys, motorcycles,
coffee and other commodities, cosmetics,
forklifts, electrical supplies, imported
Italian marble, and automobile parts.
Specifically, State Investigators negotiated
the purchased an Intratec TEC 9 semi-automatic
assault weapon with a detachable large-capacity
ammunition magazine, a Intratec DC semi-automatic
assault firearm with a large capacity
ammunition magazine, a Charles Daly .45
ACP semi-automatic handgun, a Tarus PT-22
semi-automatic pistol, a Tarus PT-22 9mm
semi-automatic pistol, and a HiPoint 9mm
Model C semi-automatic pistol. Additionally,
significant quantities of MDMA (methylenedioxy-methamphetamine),
oxycontin, and marijuana were purchased
during the undercover operation.
Operation “Enterprise” was
initiated by Division of Criminal Justice
- Organized Crime & Racketeering Bureau.
Deputy Chief State Investigator Michael
Tarantino and State Investigators assigned
to the Organized Crime & Racketeering
Bureau conducted the investigation. Supervising
Deputy Attorney General Mark Eliades and
Deputy Attorney General Debra Conrad prosecuted
the case. Additional investigative assistance
was provided by the Paterson Police Department,
the Bergen County Police Department, the
Hanover Township Police Department, the
Morris County Sheriff’s Office,
and the New Jersey State Police Cargo
Theft Unit.
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