PROVIDENCE, R.I. (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 in Rhode Island say 36-year-old Jose Montes, also known as Jose Rivera, pleaded guilty Wednesday to multiple counts of transporting stolen property across state lines.

Authorities say the Cranston man led a group of nine people who between November 2019 and July 2020 stole from businesses Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire.

Montes is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 3.