NJ Man Gets Prison Term for Role in High-End Vehicle Theft Ring

A man involved in a ring that carjacked or stole high-end vehicles and sold them overseas is now headed to prison.

State authorities say Rashawn Gartrell recently received a 12-year sentence. The 37-year-old Irvington man had pleaded guilty in September to money-laundering.

Authorities recovered more than 90 stolen vehicles, including nearly two dozen found at regional seaports. The vehicles had been taken from an area stretching from Rockland County, New York to central New Jersey.

The ring sought out expensive vehicles. Some were stolen through carjackings, while others were taken from locations where the thieves could steal them with the vehicle’s electronic keys or key fobs, which authorities say are critical to the resale value of the cars.

The vehicles eventually were shipped to west Africa.