Four Charged in Multi-State High-End Automobile Theft Ring
PROVIDENCE, RI – As reflected in court documents unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Providence, R.I., four Rhode Island men have been charged for their alleged participation in a conspiracy that burglarized and stole millions of dollars’ worth of high-end vehicles from automobile and motorcycle dealerships across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
An indictment unsealed today charges Belter Giron, 28, of North Providence, Alberto Rivera, 24, of Cranston, as well as Richard Robinson, 32, and Onix Eduardo, 27, both of Providence, with conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property and interstate transportation of stolen property.
Additional court records unsealed today reflect that the four defendants previously appeared in federal court charged by way of criminal complaint. Alberto Rivera and Belter Giron made initial appearances in federal court on July 30, and July 31, 2024, respectively; Richard Robinson appeared on August 19, 2024; and Onix Eduardo, 27, appeared before a U.S. Magistrate on September 3, 2024. Giron and Eduardo are detained in federal custody; Rivera was returned to custody at the Rhode Island Adult Correctional Institutions, where he had been held previously; Robinson has been released on bond.
It is alleged in court documents that, between February 2023 and July 2023, members of the conspiracy burglarized a dozen dealerships and stole approximately 120 vehicles, collectively valued at approximately $5 million dollars. The majority of thefts targeted high-end, luxury vehicle brands such as Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Land Rover and the like. Members of the conspiracy are also alleged to have targeted a motorcycle dealership in Pennsylvania, from which they stole nineteen premium Husqvarna motorcycles. It is further alleged that eleven dirt bikes stolen from a dealership in Phillipston, MA, were brought into Rhode Island and stored at Giron’s North Providence residence.
As referenced in charging documents, an analysis of communications between members of the conspiracy allegedly revealed numerous conversations related to vehicle thefts, the use of some of the vehicles by Giron and others, and efforts to sell the stolen vehicles. It is alleged that Giron brokered the sale of stolen vehicles to associates within and outside of Rhode Island, as well as to a larger network of individuals. Surveillance video obtained by Providence Police allegedly depicts individuals matching the description of Giron and Robinson in the driveway of a Providence residence on March 13, 2023, placing a cover over a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. The vehicle, valued at $96,000, along with three other vehicles, was reported stolen one day earlier from a Hampstead, New Hampshire dealership.
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To date, law enforcement has recovered forty-one vehicles believed and eleven dirt bikes allegedly stolen by members of the conspiracy, the majority of which were recovered in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. One vehicle allegedly stolen by the group, a Range Rover, was recovered from a shipping container in Elizabeth, New Jersey, destined for Africa.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Paul F. Daly, Jr., and Julie M. White.
A federal indictment and criminal complaints are merely accusations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The matter was investigated by the FBI, with substantial assistance from the Providence Police Department, Cranston Police Department, North Providence Police Department, Pawtucket Police Department, North Kingstown Police Department, East Providence Police Department, Rhode Island State Police, Massachusetts State Police, Connecticut State Police, Easton, Massachusetts Police Department, Hampstead, Massachusetts Police Department, Waltham, Massachusetts Police Department, Somerset, Massachusetts Police Department, Internal Revenue - Criminal Investigation, and the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
Jim Martin
(401) 709-5357