Officials: 35 alleged gang members charged, indicted
Thirty-five alleged gang members have been charged in connection to financial crimes, burglaries, weapons and drugs, officials said Tuesday. Acting District Attorney Eric Gonzalez and the police commissioner
News 12 Staff
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Dec 14, 2016, 6:45 AM
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Updated 2,690 days ago
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Thirty-five alleged gang members have been charged in connection to financial crimes, burglaries, weapons and drugs, officials said Tuesday.
Acting District Attorney Eric Gonzalez and the police commissioner said the investigation began in 2015 and centered on a number of suspects based in Brownsville.
The "Hoodstarz" gang increasingly committed what investigators traditionally consider white-collar crimes, like identity theft and financial fraud, Gonzalez said.
Authorities said most of the suspects were members of the Hoodstarz or affiliated gangs that have been terrorizing the borough for years.
Investigators said they believe the suspects stole personal information off the internet. The number of potential victims could be in the thousands.
The suspects are accused of stealing credit card information to pay for illegal guns and a number of other things, ranging from municipal parking to luxury car rentals to concert tickets.
The investigation included the use of ShotSpotter technology to pinpoint the locations of violent crimes along with the monitoring of phone and Facebook conversations, according to authorities.
