Attorney General James and NYPD Announce Takedown of Stolen Vehicle Ring Operating in New York City

Five Individuals Charged for Roles in Multistate Operation That Sold Stolen Cars Throughout New York City and New Jersey

AG’s Investigation Recovers More Than 40 Stolen Cars

March 11, 2026

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James and New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica Tisch today announced the takedown of a car theft operation that sold stolen vehicles throughout New York and New Jersey. An investigation led by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) recovered more than 40 stolen motor vehicles, with a total value of more than one million dollars. Five individuals were charged with 92 crimes for their roles in selling stolen cars across New York and New Jersey.

“A stolen car can completely upend a family’s life, making it harder to get to school, work, and do essential errands,” said Attorney General James. “This investigation stopped a far-reaching criminal operation that sold dozens of stolen cars across New York and New Jersey. I thank the NYPD and our partners in law enforcement for their work to stop this criminal operation and protect our communities.”

“To criminals who traffic in stolen vehicles, our message is clear: the NYPD will find you and hold you accountable,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “The five individuals charged in this case were part of a crime ring responsible for stealing more than 40 vehicles valued at more than one million dollars. This year-long joint investigation spanned multiple jurisdictions across two states – and led to the dismantling of this criminal operation and recovery of the stolen vehicles. I applaud our NYPD detectives and the Attorney General’s Office for their tireless efforts on this case.”

The takedown was the result of a year-long joint investigation led by OCTF and the NYPD’s Bronx Auto Crime Unit. The investigation began in February 2025 when Jonathan Mercedes Silvestre was identified as the broker for the sale of stolen motor vehicles. The investigation included physical and covert video surveillance, court-authorized wiretapping of cellular telephones, the analysis of electronic evidence, including cellphone communications and tracking information, and other traditional investigative operations.

Through electronic and physical surveillance, the investigation revealed that Raulin Rodriguez and Jender Santos-Ulloa were Silvestre’s sources for stolen vehicles. Court-authorized eavesdropping, covert electronic surveillance, and analysis of records in conjunction with other investigative tools further revealed that Josue Dejesus Gonzalez, Juan Tavarez Cabrera, and other individuals served to locate, acquire, and transport vehicles to be resold to a network of customers throughout New York and New Jersey. The vehicles were stolen from various locations throughout Bergen and Passaic Counties in New Jersey, as well as New York, Kings, Bronx, Queens, and Westchester Counties in New York.

The investigation recovered more than 40 stolen vehicles, including:

• 19 Honda CRVs
• Six Lexus IS 350s
• Five Toyota Highlanders
• Four Honda Accords
• Three Acura TLXs
• Two Lexus IS 500s
• One Honda Civic The 92-count indictment charges Raulin Rodriguez, Jender Santos-Ulloa, Josue Dejesus Gonzalez, Juan Tavarez Cabrera, and Jonathan Mercedes Silvestre with Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Second Degree, and other theft-related charges. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum of 15 years in prison.

The charges against the defendants are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at trial or by plea.

This is the latest example of Attorney General James’ ongoing efforts to address motor vehicle thefts. In December 2025, Attorney General James secured $9 million from Hyundai and Kia for failing to install anti-theft technology on new cars. In December 2023, Attorney General James announced the arrest of two individuals linked to multiple Honda thefts in New York City. In October 2022, Attorney General James announced the takedown of an interstate luxury vehicle theft ring and fraudulent credit card operation. In September 2021, Attorney General James announced the takedown of an auto theft ring linked to the theft and resale of more than 225 vehicles.

Attorney General James would also like to thank the joint NYPD-DEA Drug Enforcement Task Force, which includes members of the NYPD, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the New York State Police (NYSP), as well as the New Jersey Police Departments of Passaic City, Newark, Paterson and Clifton, the City of Yonkers Police Department, the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Bronx District Attorney’s Office for their valuable assistance and participation in this investigation.

The investigation was led by NYPD Detectives James Ingram and Redmond Murphy, under the supervision of NYPD Sergeant Daniel Almeida, NYPD Lieutenant William Dooley, NYPD Inspector Daniel Campbell, NYPD Assistant Chief Andrew Arias, under the overall supervision of NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny. Attorney General James would like to thank the Detective Squads and Patrol Officers from the 25th, 44th, and 46th Precincts as well as the Bronx Robbery and Manhattan Robbery Squads of NYPD for their assistance with this investigation.

For OAG, the investigation was led by OCTF Detective Zylona Silva, with assistance from OCTF Detectives Luis Flores and Stephanie Tirado, under the supervision of OCTF Supervising Detective Bradford Miller, Assistant Chief Ismael Hernandez, and Deputy Chief Andrew Boss, with special assistance from the detective specialists from the OAG Special Operations Unit, led by Deputy Chief Sean Donovan. The OAG’s Investigations Division is led by Chief Oliver Pu-Folkes.

The case is being prosecuted by OCTF Assistant Deputy Attorneys General Christopher Clark and Renée Hassel, under the supervision of Downstate OCTF Deputy Chief Lauren Abinanti with the assistance of OCTF Legal Support Analyst Alex DiGiacomo. Nicole Keary is the Deputy Attorney General in Charge of OCTF. The Criminal Justice Division is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General José Maldonado. Both the Investigations Division and the Division for Criminal Justice are overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.