NEW YORK, NY – Prosecutors in New York have dismantled what they describe as a sophisticated criminal organization that used insider information from FedEx to target packages containing electronics, announcing charges against 14 alleged members of the theft ring.
The two-year investigation uncovered 48 alleged theft incidents targeting FedEx shipments between October 2023 and February 2025. The operation focused on packages containing cellphones and other electronics being delivered to addresses in Suffolk County on Long Island.
What set this ring apart from typical porch pirates was their access to inside information. Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney explained that defendants received “insider FedEx tracking information, including recipient names, addresses, device types, and tracking numbers from shipments from Verizon and AT&T destined for Suffolk County.”
The organization allegedly operated from two locations in the Bronx, employing a network of “runners” who would intercept packages before homeowners could retrieve them. In one disturbing incident, a defendant allegedly forcibly took a package from an elderly woman whose address was being used as a drop-off point without her knowledge.
The scheme involved creating fake orders under false identities and having them shipped to unsuspecting residential addresses, where runners would swoop in to grab the deliveries.
Law enforcement recovered substantial evidence during the investigation, including more than 200 new cellphones, various electronic devices, over $100,000 in cash, an International Mobile Equipment Identity scanner capable of cloning devices, and a bill counter. Prosecutors say stolen merchandise was redistributed both domestically and internationally through wholesalers.
The 14 defendants face 50 felony counts including enterprise corruption, grand larceny, identity theft, robbery, and conspiracy.
“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 stated.
FedEx confirmed cooperation with authorities and pledged continued efforts to combat package theft.
