Office of the Attorney General: Three North Jersey Residents Indicted for Alleged Roles in Auto Theft Ring
- Ongoing Investigation Recovered More than $1.5 Million in Stolen Automobiles

FROM THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

August 13, 2008

Contact: Division of Criminal Justice
609-292-4791


TRENTON - Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal Justice Director Deborah L. Gramiccioni announced that three North Jersey residents were named today in a 25-count indictment for their alleged roles in a theft ring that targeted luxury cars.

According to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden Brown, Saladine Grant, 33, of Newark, was charged with being the leader of an auto theft trafficking network; four counts of theft by unlawful taking; five counts of receiving stolen property; four counts of fencing; and one count of conspiracy. All of those charges are in the second degree. Grant was also charged with five counts of third-degree receiving stolen property and three counts of third-degree fencing.

Birrel T. Smith, 36, of Piscataway, was charged with theft by unlawful taking; receiving stolen property; and conspiracy, all in the second-degree. Smith’s girlfriend Michelle Laboy, 29, also of Piscataway, was charged with second-degree theft by unlawful taking; second-degree receiving stolen property; and third-degree hindering apprehension or prosecution of another person.

The Union County grand jury indictment alleges that between December 2006 and July 2007, Grant, as the leader of an auto theft trafficking network, engaged in the theft of 25 luxury automobiles, including Audis, BMWs and Infinitis. It is charged that Grant allegedly sold several of the vehicles to undercover investigators assigned to the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor. Smith and Laboy allegedly assisted Grant in the theft of many of the cars, including eight Audis.

The indictment further alleges that Laboy hindered the apprehension of Smith. It is alleged that Laboy made false statements to a law enforcement officer about Smith.

As part of the ongoing investigation into the ring, approximately 25 reported stolen vehicles, valued at a total of more than $1.5 million, have been recovered by the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor. The majority of the recovered vehicles were allegedly stolen from New Jersey Port Authority new car holding lots and other new car holding lots, as well as from a long-term parking lot situated next to Newark Liberty International Airport.

Detectives Jarek Pyrzanowski, Amy Carson and Jeffrey Lorman, and Deputy Attorney General John J. Higgins were assigned to the investigation into this case. Higgins presented the case to the Union County grand jury.

Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Brown thanked the Perth Amboy Police Department; the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; the New Jersey State Police; the Edison Township Police Department; and the Piscataway Police Department for their assistance in the investigation.

“Frequently insurance fraud investigations lead to evidence of stolen automobiles and other vehicles, as well as owner initiated give ups,” Prosecutor Brown said. “This office will continue to follow evidence of fraud and theft wherever it leads.”

The indictment is merely an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Second-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in state prison and a criminal fine of $150,000, while third-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence of five years in state prison and a criminal fine of $15,000.

Prosecutor Brown noted that some important cases have started with anonymous tips. People who are concerned about insurance cheating and have information about a fraud can report it anonymously by calling the toll-free hotline 1-877-55-FRAUD or visiting the Web site http://www.njinsurancefraud.org. State regulations permit an award to be paid to an eligible person who provides information that leads to an arrest, prosecution and conviction for insurance fraud.

The Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor was established by the Automobile Insurance Cost Reduction Act of 1998. The office is the centralized state agency that investigates and prosecutes both civil and criminal insurance fraud, as well as Medicaid fraud.