Teaneck, Passaic Co. Men Convicted On Federal Conspiracy Charges

BALTIMORE, MD — Two men from New Jersey were convicted on federal charges related back to a series of at least 20 burglaries that resulted in $850,000 worth of stolen property from 2017 to 2018, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Maryland announced.

Kamar Beckles, 35, of Teaneck, and Demar Brown, 37, of Paterson and Winston-Salem, North Carolina, were convicted for conspiracy, and for transportation of stolen property, taken during a series of burglaries committed in Maryland and Georgia.

A third man, Jashon Fields, 37, of Atlanta, was convicted on the same charges.

According to the evidence presented at the 10-day trial, the trio committed a series of burglaries at residences in Baltimore County, Maryland and Milton, Georgia. During these break-ins, they would steal property including cash, jewelry, designer goods and safes with the intention to sell the stolen property for cash.

Witnesses testified that the defendants wore masks and gloves during the break-ins and communicated with each other using two-way radios and mobile phones, officials said. They used hotel rooms to store the goods before transporting them out of state.

According to officials, Brown and Beckles transported the stolen property outside Maryland, including to two residences to which Brown had access in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

According to a Patch report at the time, the trio was taken into custody after someone called police to report a burglary in the 14100 block of North Blenheim Road in Baltimore County in late January 2018.

Responding officers saw a green Ford Explorer with a North Carolina plate, and when they followed the SUV, Brown — who was the only person in the vehicle — tried to pull into driveways to get away, then drove down one, jumped out and ran, police said.

Responding officers found another burglary nearby in the unit block of Blenmont Court and after conducting an extensive search, police said they found Fields and Beckles in a wooded area.

Police found that the trio were carrying hotel key cards at the time of their arrest, and obtained a search warrant for the rooms.

During the searches of the rooms, law enforcement recovered jewelry stolen from a residence on Jan. 25, 2018, property from homes burglarized in Milton, Georgia on Jan. 24, as well as property from homes burglarized in Baltimore County on Dec. 28, 2017, Dec. 29, 2017, Jan. 9, 2018, and Jan. 10, 2018.

They also recovered a mask, a pair of gloves, a diamond tester, a scale, and a gold testing kit, officials said.

In total, 21 homes were burglarized in connection with the conspiracy, and the victims reported that $850,000 worth of property was stolen.

"Only some of that stolen property has been recovered and returned to its owners; for a few victims, the vast majority of their property has yet to be recovered," officials said.

The trio each face a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for the conspiracy, and a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for each count of interstate transportation of stolen property or attempted interstate transportation of stolen property.

U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel will schedule sentencings at a later date, officials said.

Additional reporting by Elizabeth Janney.

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