A Bronx man accused of leading a highly organized “porch pirate” network that stole electronics from homes and businesses across Suffolk County has been indicted along with 13 alleged accomplices, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced Monday.
According to prosecutors, 29-year-old Andricson Jerez and his associates spent more than two years intercepting FedEx packages containing cellphones and other electronic devices. The criminal enterprise allegedly stretched from North Babylon to Montauk, relying on insider shipment data to target deliveries and rapidly steal them before customers could collect their orders.
“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.
Investigators allege Jerez ran the operation from two Bronx locations, directing a group of “runners” who were provided with FedEx tracking information, including recipient names, addresses, package contents, and tracking numbers, from shipments tied to Verizon and AT&T. Those runners allegedly traveled throughout Suffolk County to steal packages and deliver them to Jerez at a Bronx “fencing location.”
From there, prosecutors say stolen devices were verified through encrypted messages, packed into garbage bags, and moved to a Bronx “stash house,” where they were sold in bulk to wholesalers for domestic and international resale.
Authorities identified numerous Suffolk communities affected by the thefts, including Babylon, Bay Shore, Bellport, Brentwood, Central Islip, Deer Park, Huntington, Miller Place, Port Jefferson, Ronkonkoma, Sag Harbor, Selden, Shirley, and West Islip.
Prosecutors also detailed several incidents involving force or deception. In one case, a FedEx driver in Hauppauge was allegedly shoved to the ground so thieves could steal a package containing 15 Samsung tablets. In another, a suspect is accused of using a fake ID to retrieve an iPad Pro from a Melville FedEx facility.
Search warrants executed in February uncovered more than 200 new cellphones, other electronics, large amounts of cash, an IMEI scanner, and a bill counter, equipment prosecutors say can be used in criminal resale operations.
Jerez faces charges including Enterprise Corruption, Grand Larceny, Petit Larceny, and Conspiracy, along with multiple additional Suffolk indictments and a separate federal case in New Jersey. He was held on $75,000 bond, which has since been posted. If convicted on the top count, he faces up to 25 years in prison.
The remaining defendants, alleged runners, lieutenants, and buyers, face various felony and misdemeanor charges. Several were released under supervised conditions; others remain in custody. One suspect, arrested previously in New Jersey, remains at large after a voluntary departure order.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Keri J. Wasson and Stuart Levy of the Major Crime Bureau. Detectives from the Suffolk County Police Department assigned to the FedEx Task Force led the investigation.
Criminal complaints and indictments are accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
