By: Richard L. Smith
A federal judge sentenced five men today for their roles in a conspiracy to transport over $1.3 million worth of stolen perfume products out of New Jersey to Florida, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
According to federal officials, Carlos Duvergel, 58, of Miami Gardens, Florida, was sentenced to 33 months in prison.
Four defendants residing in Hialeah, Florida, were also sentenced: Juan Crespo, 46, was sentenced to 37 months in prison; Felix Castillo, 49, was sentenced to 33 months in prison; Asnay Fernandez, 32, was sentenced to 33 months in jail; and Ismael Manzano-Suarez, 25, was sentenced to 33 months in prison.
The defendants were previously convicted at trial before Judge Peter G. Sheridan with conspiring to transport stolen property in interstate commerce and transportation of stolen property in interstate commerce.
Judge Sheridan imposed the sentences today in Trenton federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In November 2017, the defendants broke into a warehouse storing perfume products in Edison, New Jersey and drove away with two tractor-trailers filled with stolen perfume products.
The value of the stolen perfume products was over $1.3 million.
The defendants were arrested in May 2018 while attempting to break into another perfume warehouse in East Brunswick, New Jersey.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Sheridan sentenced each defendant to three years of supervised release and were ordered to pay total restitution of $1.36 million.