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Police bring down S. Fla. motorcycle theft ring accused of sending bikes abroad
By Sofia Santana
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted August 16 2006
Fredrick Woods was a gifted mechanic who investigators said used his knowledge of motorcycles for all the wrong reasons, landing him and five others in jail Tuesday on charges they were part of a South Florida theft ring that smuggled hundreds of bikes to the Caribbean.
Woods had connections with thieves throughout the region to steal and sell the bikes, and he built devices that bypassed the ignitions on many motorcycle models, helping the thieves snatch the bikes in seconds, Broward Sheriff Ken Jenne said.
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Sheriff's investigators, working with other local and federal agencies, seized 16 late-model motorcycles Saturday when they arrested the six men during simultaneous raids in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. The bikes were each valued at more than $20,000.
Investigators found Woods, 29, in Miami's Overtown neighborhood, where he lived. Investigators suspect he made a $500 profit from each motorcycle, but they weren't sure what he used the money for, Jenne said. Woods has a history of auto theft and car burglary arrests, but the charges were dropped each time, according to state records.
Woods bought the motorcycles from the thieves for a couple thousand dollars each and sent them to be dismantled in chop shops, authorities said. He smuggled the parts onto cargo ships with a note for the buyers to dial a phone number so someone could explain to them how to reassemble the bikes, according to investigators.
"They've been put together by people you wouldn't want to trust," Jenne said of the motorcycles.
Edward Alvarado, 32, of Hollywood, was arrested at his home in the 6200 block of Garfield Street that investigators said doubled as a chop shop. This is the second time police have accused Alvarado of running a chop shop at the house. The first time was in 2000. Alvarado received two months of probation after pleading guilty to those charges, state records show.
The other men arrested were: Richard Navarro, 24, of northwest Miami-Dade; Almocrates Job, 29, of west Kendall; Jason George, 22, of Miramar; and Xavier Jones, 36, a Miami mechanic.
Each faces several racketeering and conspiracy charges, and all but Job were charged with dealing in stolen property.
Sheriff's investigators, Hollywood police, the Florida Highway Patrol, Miami-Dade Police and the National Insurance Crime Bureau kept tabs on the group for about a year before making the arrests.
By Sofia Santana
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted August 16 2006
Fredrick Woods was a gifted mechanic who investigators said used his knowledge of motorcycles for all the wrong reasons, landing him and five others in jail Tuesday on charges they were part of a South Florida theft ring that smuggled hundreds of bikes to the Caribbean.
Woods had connections with thieves throughout the region to steal and sell the bikes, and he built devices that bypassed the ignitions on many motorcycle models, helping the thieves snatch the bikes in seconds, Broward Sheriff Ken Jenne said.
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Sheriff's investigators, working with other local and federal agencies, seized 16 late-model motorcycles Saturday when they arrested the six men during simultaneous raids in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. The bikes were each valued at more than $20,000.
Investigators found Woods, 29, in Miami's Overtown neighborhood, where he lived. Investigators suspect he made a $500 profit from each motorcycle, but they weren't sure what he used the money for, Jenne said. Woods has a history of auto theft and car burglary arrests, but the charges were dropped each time, according to state records.
Woods bought the motorcycles from the thieves for a couple thousand dollars each and sent them to be dismantled in chop shops, authorities said. He smuggled the parts onto cargo ships with a note for the buyers to dial a phone number so someone could explain to them how to reassemble the bikes, according to investigators.
"They've been put together by people you wouldn't want to trust," Jenne said of the motorcycles.
Edward Alvarado, 32, of Hollywood, was arrested at his home in the 6200 block of Garfield Street that investigators said doubled as a chop shop. This is the second time police have accused Alvarado of running a chop shop at the house. The first time was in 2000. Alvarado received two months of probation after pleading guilty to those charges, state records show.
The other men arrested were: Richard Navarro, 24, of northwest Miami-Dade; Almocrates Job, 29, of west Kendall; Jason George, 22, of Miramar; and Xavier Jones, 36, a Miami mechanic.
Each faces several racketeering and conspiracy charges, and all but Job were charged with dealing in stolen property.
Sheriff's investigators, Hollywood police, the Florida Highway Patrol, Miami-Dade Police and the National Insurance Crime Bureau kept tabs on the group for about a year before making the arrests.
