Three unlawful immigrants allegedly made off with over one million {dollars} price of stolen Apple devices after a brazen, armed, broad day hijacking of a supply truck exterior a Nassau County mall in January.
Michael Mejia-Nunez, 29, Alan Christhofer Cedeno-Ferrer, 27, and Ennait Alexis Sirett-Padilla, 24, all allegedly took half in an 8 a.m. theft exterior of the upscale Americana Manhasset mall initially of the 12 months — taking two guards hostage.
They then allegedly compelled certainly one of their hostages to drive to a close-by location, zip-tying and locking them behind the truck in sub-freezing temperatures and unloading the greater than $1.2 million price of Apple merchandise right into a rented van earlier than taking off to New Jersey, the place they transferred the products to a different rental truck, prosecutors mentioned.
One of many guards fortunately broke free after the alleged thieves left and was capable of name for assist, however prosecutors mentioned the state of affairs might’ve simply turned deadly as a result of freezing temperatures had they not damaged free.
“As alleged, these defendants dedicated a violent and brazen daytime theft that terrorized the victims and endangered the general public at one of the crucial common purchasing facilities on Lengthy Island,” United States Legal professional Joseph Nocella Jr. mentioned.
“The defendants allegedly held two harmless staff at gunpoint earlier than hijacking and robbing their supply truck out of egocentric greed,” he added.
Prosecutors detailed that they allegedly have a trove of proof in opposition to them, together with an internet of surveillance footage, cellphone location information, fingerprints, the pretend IDs used to hire the vans, stolen Apple merchandise, and even their very own “distinctive” clothes police recovered that they mentioned tracks them via practically each step of the heist.
The trio — all unlawful immigrants from the Dominican Republic — had been arrested and hauled earlier than a federal decide in Central Islip on Thursday, the place all three pleaded not responsible.
Choose Anne Shields instructed the court docket that the proof in opposition to the three is “very sturdy,” and the crime was a “effectively deliberate and violent assault” in broad daylight earlier than remanding them with out bail after prosecutors argued they posed each a hazard to the group and a critical flight threat.
And regardless of the intense prices in opposition to them — going through deportation and as much as 30 years in federal jail if convicted on the highest depend — Mejia-Nunez didn’t appear too fearful about his predicament.
As his legal professional and an interpreter had been explaining the case to him earlier than the decide took the bench, the 29-year-old was barely listening and stored his eyes skilled on his spouse within the gallery — blowing her kisses, smiling, winking and seductively elevating his eyebrows at her whereas his legal professional spoke.
The girl was later noticed laughing within the courtroom in any case three had been remanded.
Members of the family of the three alleged thieves later threatened reporters exterior of court docket.
