9 Indicted In Regional Equipment Theft Ring With Ties To Vernon

VERNON, CT — A federal indictment charging nine people in connection with a multistate scheme to steal and sell nearly $700,000 worth of excavators, sport boats, jet skis, all-terrain vehicles and trailers was unsealed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Providence. Vernon was connected to the scheme, according to the indictment.

According to the indictment, the leader of the operation was 36-year-old Rhode island resident Jose A. Montes, also known as Jose Rivera and "Tuto." He directed minions to survey various dealerships and marinas at night in four states in order to identify equipment to steal, according to the indictment.

An regional investigation that included Connecticut state police determined that, between Nov. 2019 and July 2020, three Bobcat excavators, 10 personal watercraft, four boats, eight all-terrain vehicles, and 10 trailers — valued at nearly $700,000 — were stolen. The bandits, often using rented and stolen trucks, hauled away the equipment from businesses across the region that included establishments in Vernon and Stafford, the indictment states. The exact locations were not outlined in the indictment.

GPS technology was used to locate several pieces of equipment, including one hidden on a farm, according to the indictment. Another was located on a city street and towed by police to an impound facility, but the ATV was subsequently stolen again from the impound lot, authorities said.

Among those charged in the 13-count indictment were:

• Montes
• Krystal K. Disano, 26, of Sarasota, FL
• Sorina Cruz, 43, of Cranston, RI
• Daniel J. Guerriero, 34, of North Scituate, RI
• Ronald S. Mosca, 48, of Sarasota, FL
• Irvin W. McLaughlin, Jr., 40, of Connecticut
• Efrain A. Lopez, 32, of Providence
• Jared J. Santiago, 28, of Providence
• Luis M. Morales, 37, of Providence