FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
Ringleader of ATM Burglary Ring Sentenced to Up to 12
Years in Prison; Five Accomplices Previously Pleaded Guilty
All Six Men to Serve Prison Terms; Charged for Series of
Break-ins to Stores in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that the ringleader of an ATM burglary ring that was charged with 14 separate heists was sentenced to six to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to burglary. His accomplices have previously accepted guilty pleas in exchange for carceral sentences. From June 2022 until January 2023 the group broke into numerous businesses and removed ATM machines that were later forced open. Many of the break-ins were captured on video surveillance.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This brazen group of criminals caused serious financial damage across the city. I am proud of investigators and prosecutors from my office who, after receiving a complaint, exposed this burglary ring, built a strong case with the NYPD, and helped bring these defendants to justice. Protecting small businesses from thieves is an important priority for my office, and we’ll continue to focus on prosecuting serial shoplifters, career burglars and others who violate our laws and hurt commerce.”
The District Attorney said that ringleader Alexander Torres aka “Chacho,” 52, was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Kim Petersen to six to 12 years in prison following his guilty plea in March to two separate counts of third-degree burglary. His brother Francisco Torres aka “Fusion,” 53, was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun to five years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of second-degree burglary. Jesus Cedeno aka “Capone,” 54, was sentenced last week to five to 10 years in prison following a guilty plea to third-degree burglary and attempted third-degree burglary. Angel Barbosa aka “Pucci,” 46, pleaded guilty in March to second-degree assault in exchange for a promised sentence of five years in prison; he’s scheduled to be sentenced on May 14. Luis Villanueva aka “Cholo,” 54, and Chris Moustakos aka “Chris the Greek,” 54, who each participated in only one charged incident, were sentenced last year to one and a half to three years in prison following their guilty pleas to attempted third-degree burglary.
The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, from June 23, 2022 to January 18, 2023, the defendants engaged in a conspiracy to steal ATMs from various stores. They used apartments in Clinton Hill and East New York to prepare for the burglaries. Based on the recovery of police scanners and other evidence, the ring used to assign a member to monitor police scanners during the heists, so they could alert the others if police were approaching and to evade detection.
The investigation, which included a review of surveillance footage, revealed that members of the ring used bolt cutters and other tools to gain access to stores and then rocked the ATM machines back and forth to dislodge them. Their roles in the burglaries varied, according to video surveillance, but, generally, Alexander Torres would break the bolts securing the ATMs and then helped carry them out of the stores. Francisco Torres was frequently the driver and helped to break stores’ doors. Barbosa and Cedeno typically acted as lookouts and helped with breaking into stores.
On October 26, 2022, Angel Barbosa was arrested for possession of a police scanner. Days later, on November 1, 2022, he was arrested in possession of two stolen ATMs, after he attempted to flee apprehension and drove into an occupied unmarked police car, injuring two officers.
The ring grew more cautious after that but continued the heists, the investigation found. On January 18, 2023, Alexander and Francisco Torres, Cedeno and Moustakos burglarized a bodega in South Richmond Hill, Queens, and were exposed by investigators. They then led the authorities on a high-speed chase from there, past Kennedy Airport and ended when their Ford van crashed into a barrier in LaGuardia Airport. The four were arrested and charged in connection with that burglary.
A total of nine incidents that were charged in the indictment took place in Brooklyn, four in Queens and one in the Bronx. The exact stolen amount in most of the incidents is not known.
The case was investigated by Detective Investigators assigned to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office and the NYPD.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorneys Nicole Lauterbach and Corey Hardin, of the District Attorney’s Frauds Bureau, under the supervision of Pamela Murray, Deputy Bureau Chief of the Fraud Bureau and Gregory Pavlides, Bureau Chief, and the overall supervision of Michel Spanakos, Deputy Chief of the District Attorney’s Investigations Division, and Patricia McNeill, Chief.
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