TRENTON
– Attorney General Anne Milgram announced
that a Hudson County man was sentenced to
state prison today for stealing roadside construction
equipment from seven counties throughout New
Jersey. The equipment belonged to various
construction companies performing work on
state highways.
According to Criminal Justice
Director Deborah L. Gramiccioni, David DeJesus,
59, of Hoboken, was ordered by Superior Court
Judge James E. Isman in Atlantic County to
serve 10 years in state prison, with 48 months
parole ineligibility. The sentence was based
on DeJesus’s guilty plea to 14 counts
of receiving stolen property.
In pleading guilty on April
15, DeJesus admitted that between December
2005 and September 2008, he stole construction
equipment in seven counties: Atlantic, Essex,
Gloucester, Hudson, Monmouth, Passaic and
Union. DeJesus admitted that he stole trailer-mounted
welders and generators, including generators
with lights that warn motorists of construction
work, from various highways including the
New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway.
The total value of the stolen equipment exceeded
$300,000.
DeJesus was initially arrested
on April 5, 2008 by the New Jersey State Police
after he was seen improperly towing a piece
of the equipment. An investigation by the
State Police and the Division of Criminal
Justice, conducted in cooperation with county
and local law enforcement agencies, revealed
that the construction equipment would be fenced
at locations in New Jersey and New York, and
then loaded into overseas cargo containers
bound for destinations in South America.
The investigation was led
for the New Jersey State Police by Detective
Sgt. Donald A. Johnstone, assisted by Troopers
Troy Hedberg, Kenneth Hoppe, Christopher Stafyleras
and Joel Trella. Deputy Attorney General Philip
S. Aronow prosecuted the case and represented
the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs &
Organized Crime Bureau at the sentencing.
Attorney General Milgram thanked
the Atlantic, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Monmouth,
Passaic and Union County Prosecutors’
Offices for their assistance in the investigation.
She also thanked the Absecon and Kearny Police
Departments for their assistance.
#
# # |