7 NJ men charged in luxury car theft ring bust, prosecutors say

🚗 7 men from North Jersey charged with stealing vehicles

🚗 Stolen luxury cars were used in a killing and other thefts, prosecutors say

🚗 Suspects are accused of taking photos inside stolen cars flaunting cash

Seven New Jersey men have been charged with stealing and selling luxury vehicles as part of a theft ring that targeted the rich at random.

Five of the men are from Newark and two are from East Orange, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. An eighth man from Virginia is also accused of being part of the car theft ring.

“The defendants are charged with orchestrating a brazen conspiracy to steal high-end, luxury vehicles, targeting our community and profiting from their illegal activities,” said U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger.

Prosecutors said the thieves stole mostly BMW and Land Rover models from towns throughout New Jersey such as Spring Lake, East Brunswick, and Ridgewood. They also less commonly stole vehicles from other states including New York, Maryland, and Virginia, court documents said.

A criminal complaint said the theft ring operated from November 2021 through February 2023, at least.

One of the conspirators looked up where "million dollar homes" were on Google Maps and then targeted those residences, a criminal complaint said.

Prosecutors said in some instances, the thieves stole the luxury vehicles and then sold them for less than $10,000 each.

The stolen vehicles were also used to commit other crimes including a homicide, multiple shootings, and the thefts of other vehicles, prosecutors said.

The charged defendants include:

🔴 Ahmad Franks, 24, of Newark — a/k/a “Mahdi”
🔴 Ryan Bowen, 26, of East Orange — a/k/a “Prob”
🔴 Shaquan White, 23, of Newark — a/k/a “QBandz"
🔴 Zamir Wright, 20, of Newark — a/k/a “GBz"
🔴 Khyree Lawrence, 20, of East Orange — a/k/a “6”
🔴 Nathan Braswell, 20, of Newark — a/k/a “Troub”
🔴 Ibn Bellamy, 24, of Newark — a/k/a “YC”
🔴 Mohammed Buhari, 45, of Woodbridge, Va. — a/k/a “Sakina”

Bellamy and Lawrence were arrested on Wednesday, according to prosecutors. The other defandants were already in custody on other charges.

Altogether, the men are accused of stealing at least 14 luxury vehicles worth around $550,000.

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