$8M Car Theft Ring Busted In North Jersey, Prosecutors Say

Police have busted a North Jersey-based auto theft ring that allegedly stole dozens of cars and sold them overseas for over $8 million, state prosecutors announced Monday.

A total of 63 people were arrested in connection with the “sprawling auto theft trafficking enterprise,” which shipped more than 90 luxury vehicles to buyers in West Africa, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office said.

Each suspect was charged with first-degree racketeering. They also face several additional second- and third-degree charges, including participation in an auto theft trafficking network, motor vehicle theft, receiving stolen property and residential burglary.

See the full list of arrestees and charges here.

Prosecutors said the ring – which began operating in June 2025 – would often commit home burglaries to get key fobs, targeting high-end models such as Range Rovers, Porsches and BMWs.

Here’s how the scheme worked, authorities alleged:

THE FENCES – “Theft crews allegedly stole vehicles and moved them to two main ‘fences’: Fatim Wingate, 26, and Brian J. Peppers, 35, both of Newark. Wingate and Peppers allegedly oversaw the enterprise, along with another fence, Adamu Alhassan, 28, of Newark, and Standford Oduro, 55, of Newark, who allegedly ran a shipping yard in Irvington, and was present for many of the sales of stolen vehicles.”

THE SHIPPING YARD – “Multiple stolen vehicles recovered from shipping containers at the ports of New Jersey and New York came from the Irvington shipping yard. Oduro was allegedly seen receiving multiple stolen vehicles and driving the stolen vehicles into the warehouse, located within a fenced-in yard. Oduro also allegedly placed vehicles into the shipping containers and sent them to the port.”

THE CREWS – “Wingate and Peppers allegedly managed different theft crews, though the individuals in the crews and locations used by the crews occasionally overlapped. Peppers and his theft crew were allegedly identified as suspects in many residential and commercial burglaries, thefts of vehicles and a robbery. Wingate’s theft crews provided stolen vehicles and assisted Wingate with the transportation of the stolen vehicles to sales locations, including the Irvington yard and a location in the Bronx, NY. One of the crews allegedly committed an armed robbery in Newark. Wingate and Peppers, among others, managed the enterprise, then facilitated the sales of the stolen cars between the theft crews and the buyers.”

Monday’s announcement was made by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor and the New Jersey State Police.

Participating agencies include the Bernards Township, Berkeley Heights, Chatham Township, Elizabeth, Matawan, Middletown Township, Millburn, Newark, New York, Paramus, Scotch Plains, Summit, Union Township, Waldwick, Wall Township, Warren Township, Woodbridge, and Westfield police departments; the Bergen County, Essex County, Middlesex County, and Somerset County prosecutor's offices; the Morris County, Essex County, and Ocean County sheriff's offices; the FBI; Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations; the National Insurance Crime Bureau; U.S. Customs & Border Protection; and the U.S. Marshals Service.

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