|
TRENTON
- Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal
Justice Director Deborah L. Gramiccioni
announced that five Burlington County men
have been indicted for their alleged roles
in a motorcycle theft ring. The men were
charged yesterday in three separate Burlington
County grand jury indictments.
According
to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden
Brown, Wilson Lopez, 25, of Burlington,
Tyrone Sapp, 31, of Willingboro, and Angel
Carrion, III, 28, of Mount Holly, were charged
in one indictment with conspiracy, eight
counts of theft by unlawful taking, and
five counts of receiving stolen property.
Lopez was also charged with one count of
fencing. All of the charges are third-degree
crimes.
In
addition, two separate indictments returned
yesterday by the same Burlington County
grand jury charged Neil C. Moyer, 33, of
Browns Mills, with third-degree crimes of
receiving stolen property and fencing, and
Ian Boyington, 30, of Riverside, with third-degree
crimes of receiving stolen property, alteration
of a vehicle identification number, and
motor vehicle title offense.
The
indictments are part of an investigation
conducted by the New Jersey State Police
and the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor
into a ring of persons who were stealing
motorcycles, retagging them with new vehicle
identification numbers, and selling them.
In some instances, they were submitting
phony insurance claims representing they
had been stolen from their owners when,
in fact, they had been given up by their
owners.
“Frequently
insurance fraud investigations lead to evidence
of stolen vehicles, as well as owner initiated
give ups,” Prosecutor Brown said.
“This office will continue to follow
evidence of fraud and theft wherever it
leads.”
The indictment charging Lopez, Sapp, and
Carrion alleges that between December 2003
and June 2004, they conspired to steal six
motorcycles and two vans, including a 2003
Honda CBR 600RR motorcycle, a 2001 Honda
CBR 900RR motorcycle, a 2003 Suzuki GXR
motorcycle, a 2002 Suzuki GXR motorcycle,
a 2003 Yamaha R6 motorcycle, a 2002 Honda
CBR 600RR motorcycle, a 1997 Dodge cargo
van, and a 1998 Ford Econoline van. The
indictment also alleges that Lopez organized
the fencing of the stolen 2002 Suzuki GXR
motorcycle.
The
indictment charging Moyer alleges that he
knowingly took possession of a stolen 2001
KTM 300 Enduro motorcycle and sold it. The
indictment charging Boyington alleges that
he knowingly purchased a stolen 2003 Suzuki
GSXR 600 motorcycle stamped with an altered
vehicle identification number, and that
he fraudulently titled the motorcycle.
The
investigation was led by Detective Sgt.
Mark Wilhelm of the New Jersey State Police.
Deputy Attorney General Paul D. Santangini
presented the cases to the grand jury.
The indictment was handed up in Superior
Court in Burlington County, where the defendants
will be ordered to appear at a later date
to answer the charges. Third-degree crimes
carry a maximum punishment of five years
in state prison and a criminal fine of $15,000.
The
indictment is merely an accusation and the
defendants are presumed innocent until proven
guilty.
Prosecutor
Brown noted that some important cases have
started with anonymous tips. People who
are concerned about insurance cheating and
have information about fraud can report
it anonymously by calling the toll-free
hotline 1-877-55-FRAUD or visiting the Web
site www.njinsurancefraud.org.
State regulations permit an award to be
paid to an eligible person who provides
information that leads to an arrest, prosecution
and conviction for insurance fraud.
The
Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor was
established by the Automobile Insurance
Cost Reduction Act of 1998. The office is
the centralized state agency that investigates
and prosecutes both civil and criminal insurance
fraud, as well as Medicaid fraud.
#
# # |
