Member of Perfume Warehouse Armed Robbery Scheme Involving NYPD Officers Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy

NEWARK, NJ—Luis Morales, 32, of Brooklyn, New York, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit the armed robbery of a Carlstadt perfume warehouse, in which he, together with three active NYPD officers, one former NYPD officer, and others stole approximately $600,000 in perfume while holding 11 employees hostage, United States Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Morales pleaded guilty before United States District Judge William H. Walls to an Information charging him with the robbery conspiracy.

On March 5, 2010, Morales was arrested and charged by Complaint along with NYPD Officers Brian Checo and Richard LeBlanca, both of New York, New York; former NYPD Officer Orlando Garcia of New York, New York; Alan Bannout of Brooklyn, New York; Gabriel Vargas of Brooklyn, New York; and Anselmo Jimenes, a/k/a “Ansemo Jimenes,” of Brooklyn, New York. According to the Complaint, the defendants conspired to obstruct commerce by robbing hundreds of boxes of perfumes and fragrances from a warehouse used by In-Style USA, Inc. in Carlstadt, New Jersey.

NYPD Officer Kelvin L. Jones, of New York, New York, also was charged on March 5, 2010, in a separate Complaint, as part of a continuing investigation by federal authorities into the heist.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Morales admitted that, in early February 2010, he conspired with NYPD officers and others to rob the In-Style USA warehouse. Morales stated that he was recruited by one of the other conspirators the day before the robbery took place to participate in the robbery in exchange for a payment of $2,500. Morales further admitted that, during the course of the robbery, the NYPD officers entered the warehouse office and restrained 11 employees as other conspirators loaded hundreds of boxes of perfume onto trucks that were used to transport the stolen perfume.

Morales is the sixth member of this conspiracy to plead guilty. As for the other defendants, the charges against them are merely accusations and they are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

At sentencing, Morales faces a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 for this offense. Morales’ sentencing is scheduled for August 30, 2010.

In determining an actual sentence, Judge Walls will consult the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges that take into account the severity and characteristics of the offense, the defendant’s criminal history, if any, and other factors. The judge, however, is not bound by those guidelines in determining the sentence. Parole has been abolished in the federal system. Defendants who are given custodial terms must serve nearly all that time.

Fishman credited Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward in Newark, New Jersey, for conducting the investigation. Fishman also thanked the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of John L. Molinelli, as well as the Carlstadt Police Department and the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau, for their assistance.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric T. Kanefsky and Christopher J. Gramiccioni of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division.