Office of the Attorney General: Burlington County Man Sentenced for Role in $500,000 Motorcycle Theft Ring

FROM THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

July 21, 2008

Contact: Division of Criminal Justice
609-292-4791


TRENTON - Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal Justice Director Deborah Gramiccioni announced that a Willingboro man was sentenced late Friday to state prison for his role in a $500,000 motorcycle theft ring in South Jersey.

The sentence resulted from a joint investigation by the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor and New Jersey State Police in which 23 persons were arrested.

According to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden Brown, Kyle Bunn, 30, of Willingboro, was ordered by Superior Court Judge Thomas S. Smith Jr. in Burlington County to serve five years in state prison and to pay $4,008 restitution. Bunn was also ordered to forfeit his Plymouth Voyager minivan, which was used during the commission of the offense. The sentence was pursuant to Bunn’s Jan. 11 guilty plea to conspiracy to receive stolen property, a charge contained in a March 20, 2007 state grand jury indictment.

At the guilty plea hearing, Bunn admitted that from 2003 to 2005, he participated in a criminal enterprise which operated primarily in Atlantic, Burlington and Mercer counties. Bunn admitted that he scouted for motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles to steal, usually as they were parked near the homes of their owners. After being stolen, some of the vehicles were “retagged” or “stamped” and sold. Retagging or stamping occurs when the vehicle identification number is changed so that the motorcycle or ATV cannot be identified as having been stolen.

The criminal enterprise focused on thefts of Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Honda motorcycles. In total, about 75 stolen motorcycles and ATVs have been recovered as a result of the investigation, with a total value in excess of $500,000.

Detective Sgt. Mark Wilhelm and Detective Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Martin of the State Police, and Detective Christina Fiscella, Analyst Terri Drumm and Deputy Attorney General Christine A. Hoffman of the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor were assigned to the investigation into this case. Hoffman represented the state at the sentencing.