A group of migrants operates as a “ghost” criminal enterprise in New York City — led by a Venezuelan leader who was released by authorities in December.
At least five migrants were arrested Monday morning in a sting operation by the NYPD investigating a gang of criminals who use stolen mopeds and scooters to forcibly take phones and wallets from pedestrians, mostly women.
Police are still looking for the ringleader, Venezuelan Victor Parra, 30, who was not home when police served a search warrant at his alleged Bronx hideout. Officials believe he entered the country sometime in 2023 and was released on bail in December after being charged with grand theft.
Parra led an elaborate scheme in which he would place calls for stolen phones using a group on the messaging platform What’s App, police said Monday.
Once migrants brought the iPhones to the Bronx home, a suspect hacked them to access the victim’s Apple Pay feature. After clearing the accounts, the phones were shipped to Miami or Colombia to be reprogrammed, the NYPD said.
A group of migrants operate as a ‘ghost’ criminal enterprise in New York City
Police are still hunting for the ringleader: Venezuelan Victor Parra, 30, who was not home when police served a search warrant at his home in the Bronx.
NYPD Inspector Nicholas Fiore said Parra convinced others to “do his dirty work.”
“He caused a lot of trouble in New York City. And hopefully we get him, then we make some progress,” Fiore added.
One of the phone grabs was captured in a gruesome video shared by police on Monday.
NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry said, “Most migrants come to New York looking for a better life. Unfortunately, some come to commit crime. Today we made tremendous progress on the largest robbery pattern plaguing our city.
“Our message is simple: commit a crime in our city and we will find you and bring you to justice!”
Mayor Eric Adams went along for the sting operation and later appeared at a news conference with police, explaining that he went along because he is a “general who leads from the front.”
‘This is not about the migrants and asylum seekers, this is about those who break the law. It doesn’t matter where you come from or where you come from,” the Democrat said.
Police have so far named a total of nine suspects, from Venezuela, Ecuador and Colombia, in the case: Cleyber Andrade, 19, and Juan Uzcatgui, 23, Yan Jimenez, 25, Anthony Ramos, 21, Richard Saledo, 21, Beike Jimenez, 21, Maria Manaura, 32, and Samuel Castro, 27.
All have previous theft records and listed their homes as migrant shelters in the city.
Police say it is extremely difficult to catch these criminals because they often change their aliases and exchange identities and birthdays, turning them into ‘ghost criminals’.
The moment a migrant on a moped dragged a woman down a New York City street to steal her phone was captured in horrific footage shared by police
The suspects allegedly stole the iPhones to use the Apple Pay feature and use the owners’ credit cards to purchase items
Monday’s arrests come after another video late last month showed a dozen migrants attacking two police officers in Times Square.
A Manhattan judge released at least five asylum seekers without bail after they were accused of the assault. Only one of the suspects remains in prison.
Four of the suspects are believed to have fled the city after being charged and released after giving false names to a charity that helps migrants get bus tickets.
Many of the migrants were already known to police on charges of petty theft and shoplifting.
According to the New York Post, the migrants accused of the abuse are also part of a wire fraud scheme.
“They are buying back cars in Ecuador and Venezuela,” a police source told the Post. ‘They put swimming pools in their houses there. All this money goes back and forth. That’s why thefts are getting out of hand. It’s incredible what they do.’
Mayor Eric Adams went along for the sting operation and later appeared at a news conference with police
Officer Nicholas Fiore said police are still searching for the leader of the crime gang, who was allegedly looking for migrants to do “his dirty work.”
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs has defended the decision to release the suspects, but claimed Saturday that he will present evidence against them to a grand jury.
New York City is buckling under the weight of a massive influx of asylum seekers, with more than 170,000 arrivals since the spring of 2022.
Adams initially welcomed the migrants but has since warned that the situation will “destroy” the city as we know it. Meanwhile, his pleas for help from the federal government have been ignored.
In the city’s latest controversial move to crack down on migrants, Adams announced a $53 million program to give prepaid credit cards to immigrant families with children.
Yesterday it was revealed that migrants staying in one of the city’s hotels will receive prepaid cards to buy food and baby supplies, rather than the city providing meals that the migrants often did not want.
Adams estimates the $53 million plan will save the city $600,000 a month, or $7.2 million a year, drawing outrage from many across the country, including native New Yorkers like rapper 50 Cent.
Migrants must sign an affidavit promising to use the cards only for food and baby supplies, or else have them cut off.
Police are still looking for at least eight other men involved in the Times Square fight
It’s unclear how the city of New York will know if they are only being used in bodegas as intended.
The amount on each card depends on individual circumstances. It’s unclear how city officials will monitor whether cards are being misused — and whether the plan will worsen the crisis by encouraging other migrants to head to the Big Apple in hopes of receiving free money.
A family of four could get almost $1,000 each month, which equates to $35 a day for food for the four.
Currently, each migrant meal costs $11, so feeding a family of four for a day could cost up to $132.
Cards are refilled every 28 days.