Overview
- Alan Christhofer Cedeno-Ferrer, Michael Mejia-Nunez, and Ennait Alexis Sirett-Padilla pleaded not guilty Thursday and were ordered detained without bail by U.S. Magistrate Judge Anne Y. Shields in Central Islip.
- The trio faces Hobbs Act robbery, robbery conspiracy, and interstate transportation of stolen property charges, with a potential sentence of up to 30 years if convicted.
- The January 3rd hijacking outside the Americana Manhasset Apple store involved masked gunmen who zip-tied two delivery workers, forced a short drive to a secluded lot, and locked the victims in the truck while moving the load to another vehicle.
- Investigators say a Home Depot box truck rented with a fake Pennsylvania license carried away the goods, the truck was found in the Bronx on January 5th with a rental agreement bearing Cedeno-Ferrer’s fingerprints, and surveillance tied a Paterson, New Jersey storage unit to the plot.
- Prosecutors told the court the defendants entered the U.S. illegally, arguing that status made them a flight risk, and noted they could face deportation after any prison term.