Operation 17 Corridor: Essex County Man Gets 12 Years After Carjacking Ring Bust

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Attorney General Christopher Porrino announced that an Essex County man was sentenced to state prison on Friday in connection with a major international carjacking and stolen car trafficking ring that stole high-end cars in New Jersey and New York and shipped them to West Africa.

Prosecutors said that the man was indicted earlier this year in “Operation 17 Corridor,” a joint investigation led by the Division of Criminal Justice and the New Jersey State Police, with assistance from the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey Police, ICE Homeland Security Investigations and numerous other agencies. Most of the defendants were arrested on Oct. 27, 2015, when the partnering agencies broke up the theft ring. Ninety stolen cars worth more than $4 million were recovered in the investigation.

According to prosecutors, Rashawn Gartrell, 37, of Irvington, was sentenced today to 12 years in state prison, including five years of parole ineligibility, by Superior Court Judge Stephen J. Taylor in Morris County. Gartrell pleaded guilty on Sept. 28 to a charge of first-degree money laundering. In pleading guilty, Gartrell admitted that he was a member of the stolen car trafficking ring and that he transported or possessed high-end stolen vehicles worth more than $500,000, including models of Mercedes Benz and BMW.

Prosecutors said that two other defendants in the case were sentenced earlier this year by Judge Taylor: Julian Atta-Poku, 34, of Queens Village, N.Y., pleaded guilty to second-degree conspiracy and was sentenced on Sept. 30 to seven years in prison; and Alterique Jones, 41, of Maplewood, N.J., pleaded guilty to second-degree racketeering and was sentenced on Aug. 5 to six years in prison with two years of parole ineligibility.

Another defendant, Damion Mikell, 33, of East Orange, pleaded guilty on Sept. 13 to second-degree racketeering, admitting that he fenced stolen vehicles for the theft ring. He is awaiting sentencing. The state will recommend that he be sentenced to six years in prison, with two years of parole ineligibility.

According to prosecutors:

"The ring that was dismantled the Attorney General’s Office and its partners in Operation 17 Corridor operated based on demand for specific vehicles. The types of vehicles frequently sought included various models of Land Rover, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Maserati, Porsche, Jaguar and Bentley. Some cars were taken through carjackings, while others were stolen from locations where the thieves were able to steal them with one or more of their electronic keys or key fobs, which are critical to the resale value of the cars. A state grand jury indictment returned on April 28 charged three men as leaders of the auto theft trafficking ring. Eighteen other defendants were charged who allegedly filled various roles in the ring, including carjacker, car thief, wheel man, fence, shipper and buyer. Shippers would load the cars into shipping containers, which were taken to ports for transport by ship to West Africa."

Prosecutors said that of the 90 vehicles recovered in Operation 17 Corridor, 23 were recovered at ports used by the ring, including Port Newark, Port Elizabeth, Global Terminal in Bayonne, and the Howland Hook Seaport in Staten Island, N.Y. The ring operated in Rockland County, N.Y., and numerous counties in New Jersey, including Morris, Bergen, Essex, Union, Hudson, Monmouth, Middlesex, Hunterdon and Somerset.

The following agencies assisted in Operation 17 Corridor, under the leadership of the New Jersey State Police and the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice:

1. Port Authority of New York & New Jersey Police Department

2. ICE Homeland Security Investigations-Newark, Border Enforcement Security Task Force

3. Morris County Prosecutor’s Office

4. Essex County Prosecutor’s Office

5. Demarest Police Department

6. Paramus Police Department

7. South Orange Police Department

8. Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office

9. Hanover Police Department

10. Linden Police Department

11. U.S. Customs & Border Protection

12. Essex County Sheriff’s Office

13. Hudson County Sheriff’s Office

14. Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor

15. U.S. Marshals Service

Valuable assistance also was provided by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, prosecutors said.

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