New York State - Division of Criminal Justice Services

Suffolk County Office of the District AttorneyDespite the steady decline of motor vehicle theft, Suffolk County still ranks withinthe top 15 counties in thefts per 100,000 population. Suffolk County is currently ranked9th. The decreases in thefts can be attributed to efforts by the District Attorney’s OfficeInsurance Crime Bureau in partnership with the Suffolk County Police Department, theNew York Police Department, the National Insurance Crime Bureau and the stateInsurance Frauds Bureau. According to Suffolk County Police Department figures, fromJuly 2006 through July 2007 there was a 29% recovery rate. While this figure isencouraging, more needs to be done to combat motor vehicle theft and motor vehicleinsurance fraud. With regard to motor vehicle insurance fraud, in 2009 Suffolk Countyreported its highest number in five years for suspected cases of fraud at 1,396, whichplaces the county 5 th in New York State.With the current economic trend, there has been an increase in the number ofcars that are stolen for scrap or for other purposes or reported stolen as part of aninsurance scam. This trend has increased with respect to motorcycles, jet skis, and allterrain-vehicles(ATVs). It has been found that most of the cases involving part theftsare now related to jet skis, ATVs, and motorcycles, because they are easier to hide dueto their size and because they are not used as often as motor vehicles. With respect tomotor vehicle parts thefts, there has been a marked increase in the amount of tire andrims thefts occurring throughout Suffolk County, but those crimes have ceased as aresult of long-term investigations. The vehicles that are legitimately stolen (as opposedto those reported stolen during an owner give-up scenario) remain to be Hondas andAcuras because of their interchangeable parts and high street value among the teenageand early adult population.The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office is continually investigating andprosecuting new motor vehicle theft and motor vehicle insurance fraud cases. In 2009,the conclusion of numerous investigations culminated in arrests and prosecutions thathave taken some of the most brazen criminals off the streets and returned restitution tothe victims of these crimes. During the past year, the Suffolk County District Attorney’sOffice has recovered $163,661.89 for victims of motor vehicle theft and $103,957.51 forvictims of motor vehicle insurance fraud.The most successful investigation was a long-term operation that utilized anundercover sting location. Undercover detectives operated a garage manned by lawenforcement personnel, and through the location, purchases were made of stolen motorvehicles, stolen motorcycles, stolen trucks, stolen jet-skis, and other various types ofstolen property. Additionally, purchases were made of vehicles that were owner “giveups,”meaning that the owner of the vehicle, or someone on their behalf, sold the carand would then report the vehicle stolen to collect money on the insurance claim. Alltransactions that occurred at the sting location were caught on digital surveillancecameras that have audio and video capabilities. In all, during the past year, 22 motorvehicles, nine motorcycles, two jet skis, one flat-bed tow truck, 15 handguns, one rifle,one jet ski trailer, and one 2006 Suzuki boat motor were purchased by the InsuranceCrime Bureau (ICB). The undercover sting location was a great success in part due toNYS DIVISION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERVICES MVTIFP BOARD / ANNUAL REPORT 2009 Page 47