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 been sentenced to five years in prison.
Federal prosecutors in Rhode Island say 37-year-old Jose Montes, who also goes by Jose Rivera, from November 2019 until July 2020 organized a gang that under cover of darkness stole three Bobcat excavators, 10 personal watercraft, four boats, eight all-terrain vehicles, and 10 trailers from businesses in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire.
A total of nine people were charged in the case. Charges against several are pending.
