The ringleader of a brazen beer theft ring, which operated primarily in the Northeast, has been sentenced to over five years behind bars. Jose Cesari, known on the streets as "Cry," will serve 63 months in prison following a string of thefts targeting railyards and beverage distribution centers. The illicit enterprise focused on swiping vast amounts of beer, with Corona and Modelo as their primary hauls, from Mexico.
This sentence was handed down after Cesari pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit theft from interstate or foreign shipments. The Beer Theft Enterprise, as it came to be known, had successfully orchestrated more than thirty-six thefts across states such as Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, each foray into the night would end with members getting compensated hundreds of dollars for their part in the raids.
The criminal outfit didn't just execute their heists covertly; they were notably bold. Recovered evidence from Cesari's phone showcased him in the thick of a robbery, angle grinder in hand, scaling a railcar loaded with beer. On top of that, the same individual wielded social media as a recruiting tool, promising would-be accomplices big payouts and sweetening the deal with perks such as a "police scanner" from an "precinct of your choice," as he advertised on his Instagram account.
Alongside his prison sentence, Cesari, 29, from the Bronx, must endure three years of supervised release post-incarceration. He is also on the hook for forfeiture of $473,710.52, representing proceeds from the thefts, and must pay restitution tallying $518,710.52. The sentence stands as a testament to concerted efforts by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Port Authority Police Department, and the CSX Railroad Police Department, lauded by U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. Clayton declared, "Today’s sentence should send a message to anyone who thinks about stealing from businesses in the Southern District of New York: the women and men of this Office take these crimes seriously, and we will not tolerate them," as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Z. Margulies and Joseph H. Rosenberg led the prosecution, ensuring that this chapter of criminal enterprise drew to a close.
