Bronx Man Charged With Stealing Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars’ Worth Of Construction Utility Vehicles From NYCHA Housing Developments

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Jocelyn E. Strauber, the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation (“DOI”), announced today the unsealing of a Complaint charging MAXIMO NUNEZ with theft of government property and conspiracy to commit theft of government property in connection with a years-long scheme in which he and others stole valuable construction utility vehicles (“Utility Vehicles”) from New York City Housing Authority (“NYCHA”) developments.  NUNEZ was arrested this morning and will be presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn later today.  

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, the defendant and others carried out a brazen scheme for years, stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in valuable construction equipment that NYCHA needed to maintain the many public housing developments that thousands of New Yorkers call home.  Thanks to the persistent efforts of the New York City Department of Investigation and the Special Agents and career prosecutors of my Office, this man now stands charged with this bold scheme.”

 

DOI Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber said: “As charged, Nunez and other co-conspirators stole at least 16 utility vehicles worth over several hundred thousand dollars from NYCHA.  These vehicles are used to maintain NYCHA facilities for residents.  NYCHA referred this matter to DOI and cooperated in this investigation, which involved the placement of GPS tracking devices on certain NYCHA utility vehicles and allowed law enforcement to recover one of the allegedly stolen vehicles.  I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for their partnership in this investigation and their commitment to hold accountable those who steal valuable government property.”

According to the allegations contained in the Complaint:[1]

From in or about January 2021 through in or about September 2022, on at least 13 different occasions, NUNEZ and three other co-conspirators (“CC-1,” “CC-2,” and “CC-3”) stole at least 16 Utility Vehicles from over a dozen NYCHA developments throughout New York City.  Utility Vehicles are pieces of heavy equipment that NYCHA uses to complete regular construction and maintenance tasks. 

NUNEZ and others stole the Utility Vehicles in the middle of the night when NYCHA employees were not present.  They often used large trucks to carry out their scheme so that they could steal more than one Utility Vehicle at a time.  Photographs taken from surveillance video of two of the thefts are below:

Utility Vehicles often retail for anywhere from $25,000 to $65,000 each.  NUNEZ and others made hundreds of thousands of dollars by selling the Utility Vehicles to individuals who did not know that they were stolen. 

NUNEZ, 28, of the Bronx, New York, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit theft of government property, which carries a maximum potential sentence of five years in prison, and one count of theft of government property, which carries a maximum potential sentence of 10 years in prison.

The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of DOI and the Special Agents and Investigative Analysts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jackie Delligatti is in charge of the prosecution. 

The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described herein should be treated as an allegation.