A founding member of the long-running "James Bond gang" that had been targeting high-end homes in affluent neighborhoods across the tri-state for years has been arrested, prosecutors said Thursday.
Bruce "Cap" Anderson, 48, of Queens, was arrested Tuesday in connection with an ongoing investigation that netted the arrests of several other alleged members of the gang in 2014. Anderson and five other defendants are named in a 24-count indictment tied to the burglary and trafficking of stolen property.
The group of burglars had been operating in New Jersey for years and expanded to Rockland County in 2013, according to police. At one burglary in Orangetown in early January, thieves lifted $30,000 worth of jewelry.
Authorities in New Jersey launched an investigation in 2014 after more than two dozen high-end homes in Bergen, Morris and Somerset counties were burglarized over a period of several months. The burglaries had many similarities and were identical in the manner in which they were carried out.
The homes, always in affluent neighborhoods, were likely targeted because of their size and the presence of expensive vehicles in the driveways. The residences were also located on or near a cul-de-sac and attacked on weekdays in the early evening hours when they were empty. Entry to the residences was often gained by forcing open the front doors. Once inside, the burglars proceeded to the master bedrooms and removed jewelry, cash and other property.
In most of the burglaries, pillow cases were taken from the residences and used to transport the stolen goods.
Upon further investigation, detectives learned the burglars would often rent high-end vehicles to blend into the communities they were targeting. Authorities found the burglars transported the stolen goods to New York and sold it to a "fence," who paid large amounts of cash for the items. The group primarily used a jeweler from Queens who operates a business in midtown's diamond district.
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Anderson allegedly had an extensive role in the burglaries, prosecutors said. He faces charges of fencing and complicity to commit the offense of fencing. He is awaiting extradition from New York. Three suspects are currently being held in Bergen County Jail. Two have been released on bail.
Information on an attorney for Anderson wasn't immediately available.
More than 30 law enforcement agencies from New York and New Jersey assisted in the investigation.
"It is a large group," Lt. Mark Emma of the Haverstraw Police Department previously told NBC 4 New York about the James Bond gang. "They've been in operation long enough that maybe their children have taken up the family profession, so to speak."
