Police have charged 63 people for their roles in a sprawling auto theft trafficking enterprise that used an Irvington shipping yard while allegedly shipping scores of stolen, high-end vehicles to buyers in West Africa.
Attorney General Jennifer Davenport, the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor, and the New Jersey State Police announced the charges on Monday, June 29.
Among other charges, all the defendants are charged with first-degree racketeering for their participation in the conspiracy, which involved targeting specific vehicles, stealing them – often committing home burglaries to obtain the key fobs for the vehicles – and brokering the stolen cars to buyers who intended to sell them overseas, according to a press release from the Attorney General’s office.
The defendants also face several additional second- and third-degree charges, including participation in an auto theft trafficking network, motor vehicle theft, receiving stolen property, and residential burglary. The investigation identified that the organization was responsible for more than 90 stolen vehicles with a combined value of more than $8 million, the release said. “To those who participate in organized auto theft and trafficking networks, our message is simple: New Jersey will continue to pursue these cases aggressively,” Davenport said.
“These auto-theft enterprises do more than simply steal cars,” said Acting New Jersey Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Bernard J. Cooney. “They endanger public safety, lead to violence, and fuel fear in our communities. Such crimes also impose significant costs throughout the insurance system that can ultimately affect the affordability of auto insurance for law-abiding New Jersey drivers.”
According to documents filed in this case, the NJSP Motor Vehicle Crimes North Unit (MVCNU) identified multiple levels of a criminal enterprise and its members operating an auto-theft trafficking ring throughout New Jersey and New York between June 2025 to June 2026.
The alleged purpose of the criminal organization was to steal, transport, and traffic high-end luxury vehicles – including Range Rovers, Porsches, and BMWs – for sale, including to buyers in Ghana and Nigeria. The criminal enterprise ran as a vertically integrated operation, where each member of the alleged conspiracy had a specific role. Theft crews allegedly stole vehicles and moved them to two main “fences” – Fatim Wingate, 26, and Brian J. Peppers, 35, both of Newark.
Wingate and Peppers allegedly oversaw the enterprise, along with another fence, Adamu Alhassan, 28, of Newark, and Standford Oduro, 55, of Newark, who allegedly ran a shipping yard in Irvington, and was present for many of the sales of stolen vehicles.
The vehicles were then sold to buyers, who often shipped the vehicles to their destination, often overseas. According to the investigation, the buyers also allegedly acted as financiers by providing money that furthered the enterprise’s criminal activity.
Peppers and Wingate both used the Irvington shipping yard; the investigation determined that multiple stolen vehicles were also sold at that location.
Multiple stolen vehicles recovered from shipping containers at the ports of New Jersey and New York came from the Irvington shipping yard. Oduro was allegedly seen receiving multiple stolen vehicles and driving the stolen vehicles into the warehouse, located within a fenced-in yard.
Oduro also allegedly placed vehicles into the shipping containers and sent them to the port.
Wingate and Peppers allegedly managed different theft crews, though the individuals in the crews and locations used by the crews occasionally overlapped.
Peppers and his theft crew were allegedly identified as suspects in many residential and commercial burglaries, thefts of vehicles, and a robbery.
Wingate’s theft crews provided stolen vehicles and assisted Wingate with the transportation of the stolen vehicles to sales locations, including the Irvington yard and a location in the Bronx.
One of the crews allegedly committed an armed robbery in Newark. Wingate and Peppers, among others, managed the enterprise, then facilitated the sales of the stolen cars between the theft crews and the buyers. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Bureau Chief Evgeniya Sitnikova in the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor.
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