An AirTag left in a stolen car led authorities to the alleged chop shop on Rosedale Road.
An AirTag left in a stolen Honda CRV helped Pennsylvania State Police take down an alleged half-million-dollar chop shop in Milford Township.
Six men, including one from Milford Township, have been charged by police with operating an alleged chop shop in the township, in which cars, stolen via key fob programmers, and car parts were sold for more than $500,000 in profit to the Dominican Republic.
According to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, police found, in a garage at 2150 Rosedale Road, several vehicles and stacks of stolen vehicle parts that were ready to be shipped overseas.
The following defendants were charged:
Aldenis Gonzalez-Caceres, 52, of Milford Township
Alexander G. Espinal De Jesus, 48, of North Chesterfield, VA
Rahinier Antonio Paulino, 31, of The Bronx, NY
Ricky M. Paulino, 26, of The Bronx
Lenny Gomez-Santos, 47, of Allentown
Luis F. Hernandez-Infante, 23, of Yonkers, NY
Police allege Gonzalez-Caceres rented the garage in Milford Township where 12 stolen vehicles and several engines and other parts were found.
All except one are in custody, police said.
Gonzalez-Caceres was arraigned Thursday by Magisterial District Judge Christopher E. O’Neill, and released him on $150,000 unsecured bail, police said.
Each are charged with felony counts of running a corrupt organization, and an associated felony conspiracy charge; two counts of forgery; receiving stolen property; owning or operating a chop shop; transporting, selling, or purchasing illegally obtained items from a chop shop; three counts of altering or destroying a Vehicle Identification Number; three counts of disposition of a car or car part with an altered VIN; two counts of tampering with public records; and two counts of insurance fraud, per court documents. Misdemeanor offenses on the docket include possessing an instrument of crime, two counts of tampering with records in writing; and two counts of fraud by altering title information, per court records.
Authorities said an investigation began In August 2022 when Pennsylvania State Police troopers out of Dublin were contacted by New York Police Department about a stolen 2022 Honda CRV that was tracked to a location in Bucks County.
The victim told police she had an Apple AirTag inside her stolen car, which said it was at 2150 Rosedale Road, police said.
Upon arrival at the location, police found it to be a garage rented by Gonzalez-Caceres, per the complaint.
A search warrant was served at the garage, which located the victim’s Honda, along with three other Honda CRVs that were reported stolen from New York or New Jersey, police said.
Investigators also found a mechanical lift, two forklifts, impact drivers, metal cutting tools, and power tools inside the garage, authorities said.
The garage, per the DA, resembled an assembly line, where vehicles entered the garage intact in the first section, and were then disassembled as it progressed to the second section of the garage.
Police served a warrant on the second portion of the garage, and found eight other stolen cars, police said, as well as 15 Honda engines, one Acura engine, 12 airbag components, eight SRS units, four pairs of registration plates, and two doors.
All items belonged to 19 vehicles reported stolen out of New York and New Jersey between Feb. 18, 2022 and Aug. 6, 2022, authorities said.
Surveillance video from the area showed the six men working on the garage and driving the stolen cars, police allege. Furthermore, surveillance captured U-Haul box trucks coming and going from the garages, mostly loaded with trash bags and other items from the garages, per the DA.
Several fraudulent titles and associated vehicle insurance cards were also uncovered in the search, police said.
Gonzalez-Caceres rented the garage for nearly three years, which he used to repair salvage vehicles and then sell them to Dominican Republic dealerships, police said.
Garage operations then evolved into using the garage to stash stolen cars, dismantle them, load parts onto shipping containers, and then prepare them for transport and future sale in the Dominican Republic, per the report.
During an eight-month span, the six men would fill 10 conainrs with more than $500,000 worth of stolen vehicles and stolen vehicle parts inside, authorities said.
The alleged thieves would use a key fob programmer to steal the cars, police said.
This case was investigated by Pennsylvania State Police, Dublin Barracks, the Pennsylvania State Police Auto Theft Unit, the New York Police Department and the New York State Attorney General. This case is assigned for prosecution to Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc J. Furber, Chief of Economic Crimes and Insurance Fraud.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 24 at 1 p.m. before Magisterial District Judge Lisa J. Gaier.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
