NYC-Area Burglary Crew Flaunted Spoils Online From $3M Of Thefts: AG

NEW YORK CITY — A New York City-based burglary crew notorious for their high-speed getaways helped convict themselves by showing off stolen cars and cash in social media posts, prosecutors said.

Six Bronx men pleaded guilty to felonies connected to more than 200 commercial burglaries across 11 downstate counties that netted them $3 million in spoils, announced Attorney General Letitia James Friday.

"These burglars left a trail of broken glass, smashed businesses, and dangerous high-speed chases in their wake," James said in a statement.

The crew hit car dealerships, cell phone stores and ATMs across New York City, Long Island and the surrounding area, prosecutors said.

They would smash windows in the burglaries, driving cars through the broken glass or carrying out merchandise and cash, officials said.

The ring's habit of waiting for police to respond to burglary alarms and then leading them on dangerous high-speed chases led law enforcement to dub their 13-month multi-agency investigation into the ring "Operation Redline," a reference to the redline on speedometers, officials said.

The probe by the attorney general's Organized Crime Task Force and NYPD eventually identified the ring members by video surveillance, data from cell phones and license plate reader data, authorities said.

Social media also proved fruitful, as the ring members had posted photos of them with stolen vehicles and heaps of cash, sometimes just minutes after specific crimes, prosecutors said.

All six men — Josepher Cartagena, 27, Brandon Collazo-Rivera, 26, Douglas Noble, 29, Alexander Santiago, 28, Justin Herrera, 23, and Willie Baines, 47 — pleaded guilty to grand larceny or burglary-related charges, prosecutors said.