The individual accused of orchestrating a “porch pirate” operation, along with 13 accomplices, was formally charged on Monday, according to an announcement by the Suffolk County District Attorney.
This “sophisticated porch pirate criminal network” specifically targeted FedEx deliveries of electronic devices across 31 communities, ranging from Huntington to Montauk, as highlighted in a statement by District Attorney Ray Tierney.
The operation reportedly resulted in the theft of over 200 phones from carriers such as AT&T and Verizon, with some packages being snatched mere moments after their delivery.
Authorities claim the group utilized hacking techniques to acquire crucial details like tracking numbers, delivery locations, and recipient identities, allowing them to time their thefts perfectly. In certain instances, they even altered delivery addresses to facilitate easier theft.
Between October 2023 and February 2025, several of these thefts were captured on home security cameras, according to officials.
Once stolen, the phones were hidden in the Bronx, sold to a fence, and subsequently distributed to various wholesalers both within the U.S. and internationally, officials reported.
“For two years, this alleged porch pirate ring plagued our community and built a criminal enterprise on the backs of Suffolk families and businesses,” Tierney said in a statement.
“They were particularly targeting those blocks of cellular phones for the purposes of taking them and then bringing them to the Bronx, and the location in the Bronx would pay top dollar for those phones.”
Andricson Jerez, the 29-year-old accused ringleader, was charged with felony enterprise corruption, grand larceny, conspiracy and other charges. His bond was set at $75,000. He faces up to 25 years if convicted of enterprise corruption.
The 13 other defendants are accused of retrieving packages for Jerez, or were involved in redistributing the devices.
