Peruvian National Sentenced for Elderly Theft Ring

0:00It's April 29. Welcome in. This is Hartford News Today, where local news meets AI, a 36-year-old Peruvian national named Angel Giancarlo, Bolito, Cocio just got hit with a three-year federal prison sentence in New Haven 4, running a distraction theft ring. Officials say he was in the country illegally and targeted elderly women outside stores, like Trader Joe's and TJ Maxx in Connecticut and beyond. Wiping their wallets while they got distracted, he teamed up with at least two other Peruvian guys, renting cars to crisscross the country on these hits. They'd used the stolen credit and debit cards to buy electronics in other gear, then ship it all to an address in New Jersey where Bolito, Cocio, was. Crashing in Patterson. The scheme had victims hard across at least four states. Connecticut, Rhode Island, North Carolina, and Tennessee, with more than 10 people losing out. And over $53,000 in goods bought on their cards.

1:00Investigators tracked 14 vehicle rentals over 144 days, clocking 65,000 miles of row time. Back on January 30th, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit access to vice fraud, and aggravated identity theft. His partners, Bosses Chappelnan, and Eric Christian Luna de la Cruz, copped please too. Chappelnan got two years back on September 17th, 2000, 24, while Luna awaits his turn. After his bid, immigration proceedings loomed large, closing the book on this cross-country wallet grab that preyed on the vulnerable.