Federal prosecutors have unsealed an indictment charging three men with an armed hijacking outside the Apple store at Americana Manhasset, accusing them of turning a routine delivery into a high-dollar stickup. Investigators say the crew forced two delivery workers into the back of their truck, zip-tied them and made off with more than $1.2 million in MacBooks, iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and accessories.
According to the newly unsealed filing, the investigation later traced the stolen devices to a self-storage unit in Paterson, New Jersey, and to a rented box truck that was eventually found abandoned in the Bronx. Authorities say the defendants are scheduled to be arraigned in federal court in Central Islip later today.
Alan Christhofer Cedeno-Ferrer, 27, of the Bronx; Michael Mejia-Nunez, 29, of New York City; and Ennait Alexis Sirett-Padilla, 24, also of New York City, are named in a three-count indictment charging Hobbs Act robbery, Hobbs Act conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen property. Prosecutors say the haul topped $1.2 million in retail value.
"These defendants committed a violent and brazen daytime robbery that terrorized the victims and endangered the public," U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said in a statement. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York, the defendants face up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
Police first reported the incident on Jan. 3, saying several men dressed in black approached two delivery workers outside the Apple store on Northern Boulevard and grabbed boxes of merchandise while pointing handguns. No injuries were reported, but the Major Case Squad and Nassau County Police quickly launched an investigation that drew local media attention and rattled shoppers and merchants along Manhasset’s Miracle Mile. Initial details were covered by LongIsland.com.
How Investigators Say the Heist Unfolded
Court filings lay out a scripted robbery that sounds like something out of a crime drama. Investigators say the suspects forced one worker into the back of the delivery truck, then ordered the other to drive to a more secluded parking area. Once there, both victims were zip-tied and placed in the cargo area.
According to those filings, a Home Depot box truck rented with a fake Pennsylvania driver’s license then backed up to the delivery truck so that the cargo doors lined up. The thieves allegedly moved the Apple products into the rented truck and took off.
Surveillance footage and rental records led investigators to a self-storage facility in Paterson, where the trail of the stolen devices continued. Law enforcement later recovered the abandoned box truck in the Bronx and, according to the same court documents and a post from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, found a rental agreement bearing Cedeno-Ferrer’s fingerprints.
Charges and What They Mean
The Hobbs Act counts in the indictment target robbery or a robbery conspiracy that affects interstate commerce, while the interstate transportation charge is aimed at moving stolen goods across state lines. Under federal law, Hobbs Act robbery can carry up to 20 years in prison, though prosecutors in this case say the defendants face as much as 30 years.
Federal law also allows mandatory consecutive prison terms when firearms are used during certain federal crimes. Those 924(c) minimums can add five, seven or ten years, depending on whether a gun was possessed, brandished or discharged. For more on the statute and related penalties, see Cornell LII and the U.S. Sentencing Commission.
The Long Island Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul G. Scotti is listed in court filings as the lead prosecutor. For now, the charges are allegations only. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty, and are expected to appear in federal court for arraignment later today.
