New York Car Theft Ring Dismantled in Major Law Enforcement Operation

In Westchester County, NY, a significant law enforcement operation named "Operation Master Key" has successfully taken down an organized and prolific car theft ring, leading to the guilty pleas and sentencing of nine individuals involved in the theft and possession of 45 vehicles over a six-month period during 2020. The New York Attorney General, Letitia James, highlighted the operation’s systematic approach to targeting vehicles in New York City and Westchester County, capitalizing on the reduced street activity during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The thieves employed sophisticated methods, including reprogramming vehicle computers to disable alarms, creating keys from illegal online resources, and altering vehicle identification numbers (VINs) to resell the cars across the United States and in the Dominican Republic.

The crackdown was the result of a collaborative two-year investigation involving the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) and the NYPD’s Auto Crime Division, employing extensive surveillance, wiretapping, and search warrant executions. The operation uncovered a detailed process by which the crew altered stolen vehicles, including changing VINs, installing fake VIN plates, and forging federal certification stickers, to mask the vehicles’ stolen status.

Among those sentenced were Norberto Pena Brito and Jose Lebron Pimentel, key figures in the operation, alongside collaborators responsible for altering vehicle identities and organizing fictitious documents to legitimize the stolen cars. This action represents another stride in New York’s fight against organized car theft, following a previous announcement by AG James of convictions related to over 200 burglaries, including car dealerships.