|
TRENTON
- Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal
Justice Director Deborah Gramiccioni announced
that a Willingboro man was sentenced late
Friday to state prison for his role in a
$500,000 motorcycle theft ring in South
Jersey.
The
sentence resulted from a joint investigation
by the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor
and New Jersey State Police in which 23
persons were arrested.
According
to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden
Brown, Kyle Bunn, 30, of Willingboro, was
ordered by Superior Court Judge Thomas S.
Smith Jr. in Burlington County to serve
five years in state prison and to pay $4,008
restitution. Bunn was also ordered to forfeit
his Plymouth Voyager minivan, which was
used during the commission of the offense.
The sentence was pursuant to Bunn’s
Jan. 11 guilty plea to conspiracy to receive
stolen property, a charge contained in a
March 20, 2007 state grand jury indictment.
At the guilty plea hearing, Bunn admitted
that from 2003 to 2005, he participated
in a criminal enterprise which operated
primarily in Atlantic, Burlington and Mercer
counties. Bunn admitted that he scouted
for motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles
to steal, usually as they were parked near
the homes of their owners. After being stolen,
some of the vehicles were “retagged”
or “stamped” and sold. Retagging
or stamping occurs when the vehicle identification
number is changed so that the motorcycle
or ATV cannot be identified as having been
stolen.
The criminal enterprise focused on thefts
of Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Honda motorcycles.
In total, about 75 stolen motorcycles and
ATVs have been recovered as a result of
the investigation, with a total value in
excess of $500,000.
Detective Sgt. Mark Wilhelm and Detective
Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Martin of the State
Police, and Detective Christina Fiscella,
Analyst Terri Drumm and Deputy Attorney
General Christine A. Hoffman of the Office
of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor were assigned
to the investigation into this case. Hoffman
represented the state at the sentencing.
# # # |
