Eight men have been charged in connection with a stolen car ring that allegedly took more than 100 vehicles, mainly Honda, Acura, and Jeep models, from New York streets and sold them to unsuspecting buyers along the East Coast. The cars are estimated to be worth millions of dollars. The defendants face charges including conspiracy to possess and sell stolen vehicles, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Six of the accused were arrested and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robyn F. Tarnofsky in Manhattan federal court.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton stated, “New Yorkers have every right to expect safety and security on our streets and in our homes. New Yorkers are smart. They know that car theft rings and other fraud schemes inflict great harm on their victims and cost all of us. As alleged, the eight men charged stole cars from the streets of New York, time and again, and trafficked them to unsuspecting buyers along the East Coast, causing millions of dollars in losses. Yesterday’s arrests reinforce that when thieves prey upon hardworking New Yorkers, the women and men of the SDNY and our law enforcement partners will bring them to justice on behalf of all law-abiding New Yorkers.”
Ricky J. Patel, Special Agent in Charge at Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York Field Office, commented: “This announcement highlights HSI New York’s unwavering commitment to ensuring a safer community and to pursuing all individuals and co-conspirators allegedly tied to this auto theft ring. This is not a victimless crime; a stolen car disrupts daily life and inflicts lasting harm on innocent New Yorkers, robbing them of their sense of security and stability. The public deserves to know their neighborhoods are safe, that they can park their vehicles without fear, and that their hard-earned purchases are protected. HSI New York, in collaboration with our law enforcement partners, will continue to identify, dismantle, and deter the criminal networks that exploit our neighborhoods and threaten our livelihoods.”
NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said: “Hondas continue to represent a significant number of auto thefts in New York City, and the NYPD is doing exactly what we do best to combat crime: finding the criminals responsible and stopping their illegal operations. Through precision policing and a multi-year investigation, the world’s greatest detectives dismantled this massive criminal ring – and I want to thank the NYPD investigators for their commitment to this case, as well as HSI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their continued partnership.”
Steven G. James, Superintendent of the New York State Police (NYSP), added: “Through collaboration among law enforcement partners at all levels, we have intercepted a highly organized car theft operation that was responsible for victimizing car buyers across the East Coast. The defendants had no regard for the financial damage they inflicted or for the safety of the victims. I commend the efforts of all those involved in bringing this criminal activity to an end and for the outstanding work that led to the charges in this case.”
According to allegations made in court documents from March 2022 through November 2025, members of this group targeted cars parked primarily on Bronx or Queens streets before hiding them temporarily at various locations (“lay-up spots”) so as not to attract police attention.
The suspects then changed vehicle identification numbers (VINs) on these cars before seeking services such as oil changes under new VINs—creating false maintenance records intended to convince buyers that these were legitimate vehicles rather than stolen property.
Sales often began through social media platforms where products can be bought or sold before being completed face-to-face.
The eight defendants named are PEDRO MANUEL LOPEZ MARTE (38), JERRY LOPEZ PAULINO (33), SERGIO DIAZ RAMIREZ (35), PEDRO ROJAS (62), JUSTIN MARTHA (24), ERICK ROJAS CRUZ (27), JOSE FERREIRA (48)—all from Bronx—and RONALD ARIAS SANTOS (30) from Hempstead.
Each faces up to five years imprisonment for conspiracy related charges involving possession/sale of stolen vehicles; up to 20 years each for wire fraud-related counts; actual sentencing will be determined by a judge.
Jay Clayton acknowledged contributions from NYPD Auto Crime Division Major Case Team; HSI’s Seaport Trade Group; NYSP Auto Theft Unit.
Assistant U.S. Attorney James Mandilk leads prosecution from SDNY General Crimes Unit.
All charges remain allegations unless proven otherwise; defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
