Suffolk County 'porch piracy' ring indictments: 14 charged with stealing cellphones, tablets in FedEx boxes

Cellphones and tablets in FedEx boxes were stolen from home porches in 31 Suffolk County communities by 14 individuals working in concert, according to indictments announced on Monday.

Ray Tierney, the county’s district attorney, estimated that "hundreds of phones were taken in acts of porch piracy" between October 2023 and February of this year.

The defendants face 50 felony charges; if convicted, they could spend years in prison.

"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 said.

Most of the defendants are Bronx residents; one lives in Valley Stream, according to the indictments.

The defendants allegedly hacked computer systems to find out when phones and other electronic devices would be delivered to the homes of Verizon and AT&T customers. The defendants had the customer’s name, address, device types and FedEx shipment tracking numbers, the indictments state.

"Once the package was delivered, they would steal it from the doorstep," Tierney said at his Hauppauge office on Monday. "The phones were first taken to a ‘fencing location’ in the Bronx, then a ‘stash house’ in the Bronx and finally sold in this country and internationally."

He added that some of the thefts involved acts of violence such as throwing a FedEx driver to the ground in Hauppauge and forcibly taking a package from a Suffolk resident.

The ring was allegedly led by Andricson Jerez, 29, of the Bronx, who was charged with enterprise corruption, grand and petit larceny, and conspiracy. He faces a maximum of 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison if convicted on the top charge.

Separately, Jerez and two other defendants have been indicted by federal prosecutors in New Jersey.

The federal charges involve the alleged fencing operation in the Bronx. They are part of a case involving an international network that stole thousands of shipments of phones and other electronic devices from around the country, according to the Office of the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey.

Jerez is due back in New York State Supreme Court on Dec. 15. His attorney didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Monday evening.

The only local defendant is Anzar Ali, 57, of Valley Stream, who is charged with conspiracy and faces a maximum prison sentence of 4 years.

Ali, whose attorney didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, is due back in court Wednesday.

Suffolk prosecutors discovered the ring more than two years ago when they were looking into why there had been a spike in package thefts from front porches throughout the county.

Tierney, the district attorney, said Monday "the investigation is ongoing" with help from federal and New York City law enforcement. More than 200 stolen phones and other electronic devices, and about $120,000 in cash, have been recovered so far.

Asked how residents can protect themselves from porch thefts during the holiday shopping season, Tierney said, "Track your packages and get them off your porch as quickly as possible."

By James T. Madore

james.madore@newsday.comJamesTMadore

James T. Madore writes about Long Island business news including the economy, development, and the relationship between government and business. He previously served as Albany bureau chief.