Leader of interstate equipment theft ring pleads guilty

PROVIDENCE (AP) The ringleader of a group that stole about $700,000 worth of construction equipment, boats, personal watercraft, all-terrain vehicles and trailers from dealers across New England has pleaded guilty, federal prosecutors said.

Jose Montes, who also goes by Jose Rivera, 36, of Cranston, pleaded guilty Wednesday to multiple counts of transporting stolen property across state lines, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office in Providence.

He led a group of nine people indicted in November who often staked out the dealerships and marinas after dark looking to steal equipment, prosecutors said.

The group stole three Bobcat excavators, 10 personal watercraft, three boats, eight all-terrain vehicles, and 14 trailers between November 2019 and July 2020 from businesses in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire, prosecutors said.

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Many of the stolen items were recovered in Rhode Island using GPS devices built into the equipment. One boat was towed to Florida to be sold, authorities said. Some remains missing.

Montes is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 3. He is the third person to plead guilty in the case.