A Long Island car theft ring that broke into 52 cars and stole 15 of them across 18 months has been dismantled, authorities said Tuesday.
The 13-person group, calling themselves the CC Boyz, stole 75 credit cards from the vehicles and made $40,000 worth of fraudulent purchases, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said in a press release.
“Let it be clear – in Suffolk County, you cannot steal other people’s property with impunity,” District Attorney Ray Tierney said.
All 13 suspects lived in Freeport and Hempstead in Nassau County but would travel to affluent Suffolk County neighborhoods looking for unlocked vehicles, cops said. The group used real estate websites to locate wealthy areas and also targeted country clubs, assisted living facilities, hotels and high-end gyms.
The massive indictment against the group included 250 total charges for the scheme running from February 2023 to August 2024. Accused leader Shawn Mullen, 24, faces 197 counts while lieutenants Trevon Brandon-Douse, 26, and Zion Fenner, 25, face 79 and 62 counts, respectively.
Nine of the suspects were arrested on Monday, while three — including Mullen — were already behind bars. One man, 28-year-old Bronx resident Rahmadon Cruz, remained on the run.
Of the 12 detained suspects, seven were ordered held while five were released without bail and scheduled for new court dates on April 2.