CNB Crime: Trio Sentenced for Running International Car Theft Network
Saturday, November 22, 2014
TRENTON – Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor (OIFP) today announced three men were sentenced on Friday (November 14) for running an international car theft scheme, from 2007 to 2009, which resulted in high-end cars being stolen in New York and then routed into New Jersey where they were to be shipped to Abu Dhabi for re-sale.
Ian Aguilar, 33, of Denville, was sentenced by Morris County Superior Court Judge Stuart A. Minkowitz, while Adam Hassan, 32, of Guttenberg, and Tomas Bladimir Castillo-Abreu, 28, of Bronx, N.Y., were sentenced by Morris County Superior Court Judge James M. DeMarzo.
Aguilar pleaded guilty on October 19, 2011 to third-degree receiving stolen property. Aguilar admitted to knowingly committing theft by receiving into New Jersey 14 luxury vehicles despite knowing that the vehicles were stolen. At that time, he also pleaded to charges brought against him by the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office including: second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, third-degree burglary and a disorderly persons offense for simple assault. Aguilar will serve three years concurrently for both sets of charges.
In September, Hassan and Castillo-Abreu pleaded guilty to second-degree receiving stolen property and third-degree receiving stolen property, respectively. Under the plea agreement, Hassan will serve three years in state prison and Castillo-Abreu received a three-year probation term. Hassan will have to pay back $5,000 to offset the costs of his extradition, which was secured from Florida by a collaboration between the OIFP, U.S. Marshals Service and local Florida authorities. Castillo-Abreu will pay restitution in the amount of $16,000.
“The world can be a marketplace for criminals, as evidenced by the enterprise that these three men created, which targeted the auto-purchasing residents of New York,” said Acting Attorney General Hoffman. “The prosecution of these defendants is proof of our intent to ensure that New Jersey’s ports and locales are not hubs for international crime.”
“Car theft threatens the integrity of the insurance industry, whether or not the theft itself occurred within our borders,” said Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Ronald Chillemi. “Illegal trafficking of these vehicles through our state creates residual effects in the marketplace that result in rate increases for policyholders.”
The thefts were arranged so that Hassan would tell Aguilar what cars he needed, and Aguilar would then tell Castillo-Abreu, who would procure the vehicles from New York. Aguilar would assist Castillo-Abreu in moving the cars from New York to New Jersey. Aguilar was paid through a cut of the money given from Hassan to Castillo-Abreu, who routed the vehicles for resale in Abu Dhabi.
Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Chillemi and Deputy Attorney General Bradford Muller represented the State. Detectives Richard Lane, Megan Flanagan and Brian Bunn investigated the case, while analyst Bethany Schussler provided additional investigative assistance. Chillemi thanked the Morris County Prosecutor's Office and Assistant Prosecutor Brian DiGiacomo in regards to the case against Aguilar. Chillemi also thanked Detective Shawn Gorlin, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Broward and Miami County Sheriff’s Departments in Florida for their help in locating Hassan.
Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Chillemi noted that some important cases have started with anonymous tips. People who are concerned about insurance cheating and have information about a fraud can report it anonymously by calling the toll‑free hotline at 1‑877‑55‑FRAUD, or visiting the Web site at www.NJInsurancefraud.org. State regulations permit a reward to be paid to an eligible person who provides information that leads to an arrest, prosecution and conviction for insurance fraud.