Nine people have been sentenced for their roles in a multi-state vehicle theft ring that supplied stolen cars to illegal street takeovers in Pennsylvania. Two of the defendants, Ian Torres and Jose Otero Nieves, were each convicted of stealing more than two dozen vehicles.

According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, 26-year-old Torres of Philadelphia and 43-year-old Otero Nieves of Baltimore worked with eight co-conspirators to receive, possess, store, sell, and dispose of vehicles stolen and transported across state lines.

Stolen performance cars appeared at takeovers

Otero was reported to have operated a large car meetup group in Baltimore. Vehicles connected to the theft ring were later seen at several street takeovers, where they were used for drifting and burnouts close to spectators.

The group’s activity helped explain the origins of at least some of the cars appearing at those events. The stolen vehicles included performance models that were taken from a Pennsylvania dealership in a single theft.

Dealership theft included multiple CTS-Vs

On October 3, 2023, the conspirators stole two 2017 Cadillac CTS-Vs, one 2016 CTS-V, two 2019 CTS-Vs, a 2019 Chevrolet Camaro, a 2018 Chevrolet Camaro, and a 2019 Chevrolet Corvette from a dealership in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.

Torres received a 54-month prison sentence, while Otero Nieves was sentenced to 96 months. Otero had previously been convicted of second-degree murder.

Seven additional members of the ring have also been sentenced. Their prison terms range from 84 months to six months. Police also identified a tenth participant, Jumaane Wright, but he died before a sentence could be imposed.