‘Porch pirate’ crime ring ‘hacked’ FedEx delivery system to steal packages carrying electronic devices, prosecutors say
Long Island prosecutors have charged 14 people with running a massive “porch pirate” ring that “systematically” snatched high-value packages from citizens’ doorsteps using “insider knowledge” from within FedEx.
In an indictment announced on Monday, authorities in Suffolk County, New York, accused 29-year-old Bronx man Andrickson Jerez of masterminding the “sophisticated” criminal outfit that swiped thousands of smartphones and tablets from local homes and businesses.
Jerez is accused of feeding insider FedEx tracking information — including recipient names, addresses, and the contents of their parcels — to a network of “runners”, who would grab the loot and bring it to a staging hub at an address on University Avenue in the Bronx.
Then, prosecutors allege, Jerez and his “lieutenants” would confirm the devices’ ID numbers before taking them to a “stash house” on Quimby Avenue, from which Jerez and his father Juan Baez, 48, would sell them to a Manhattan electronic store owner named Fawaz Hameed, 35.
In some cases, runners are accused of seizing packages from drivers or residents by force, including “violently push[ing] a FedEx driver” to steal a consignment of 15 Samsung tablets. One runner is even alleged to have used fake ID at a FedEx depot to claim a package containing an iPad Pro.
“For two years, this alleged porch pirate ring plagued our community and built a criminal enterprise on the backs of Suffolk families and businesses,” said Suffolk County district attorney Raymond A. Tierney.
“These indictments demonstrate that we will track down and hold accountable those who commit crimes against Suffolk County residents, regardless of how extensive their operation.”
Tierney added to reporters that his office believed the alleged thieves had “hacked” one of the delivery systems to gain their inside information. All the packages were sent by Verizon or AT&T through FedEx.
Jerez has been charged with multiple felonies including grand larceny and enterprise corruption, and faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted. Baez, meanwhile, is charged with felony conspiracy and could be jailed for up to four years.
The Independent has asked Jerez’s, Baez’s, and Hameed’s lawyers for comment.
