Federal authorities busted a ring of thieves accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars of beer from freight trains across the Northeast. Prosecutors charged eight men in the scheme, which lasted from July 2022 to March 2024.
Officials said the men operated out of the Bronx in New York City and would target trains in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. After stealing cases of beer, usually Corona and Modella, they would bring them back to the Bronx, where they inspect and then sell the cases.
The men who helped pull off the heists were paid hundreds of dollars and promised they could make $100,000 a month in posts on Instagram.
"For years, the Beer Theft Enterprise has operated brazenly, allegedly breaking into railyards and beverage distribution facilities throughout the Northeast and filling U-Haul box trucks to the brim with cases of beer. That dangerous and disruptive conduct — sometimes allegedly accompanied by the threat of violence — has left several beverage distribution and railroad companies ailing. Today's arrests reinforce that the Beer Theft Enterprise's staggering thefts will not be tolerated in the Southern District of New York," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement.
Seven of the defendants are in custody. The accused ringleader, Jose Cesari, remains at large. If convicted, he faces life in prison. The other defendants face decades in prison if convicted on all charges.