8 men allegedly ran a beer heist ring that stole Corona and Modelo worth hundreds of thousands

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Eight men allegedly operated a beer heist ring that swiped cases of Corona and Modelo Especial valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars from distribution centers and rail cars in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York.

Seven of the men were arrested on Wednesday, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York. The man who prosecutors believe was the ringleader, Jose Cesari, turned himself in to federal authorities on Thursday after being at large, a spokesman confirmed with CBS MoneyWatch. 

Between July 2022 and March 2024, the men allegedly carried out dozens of heists, waiting until night to cut holes in the fences of distribution facilities or to snip the locks off rail cars to gain access to pallets of beer, according to an unsealed indictment. They then allegedly used a moving truck to transport the stolen beer to the Bronx, where it was inspected and then sold.

"Train heists harken back to the days of the Wild West and gunslingers riding horses, stealing loot from rail cars," FBI special agent in Charge James E. Dennehy said in the statement. "The romanticized image has nothing to do with the modern-day criminals we allege took part in a theft ring in New Jersey, New York, and beyond that targeted railyards and beverage distribution centers."

The arrested men — Kemar Bonitto, Justin Bruno, Miguel Cintron, Antonio Gonzalez, Luis Izquierdo, Wakiem Johnson and Deylin Martinez-Guerrero — were paid hundreds of dollars each night for helping Cesari steal alcohol valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars, prosecutors allege. 

Cesari, who was allegedly present at all the robberies, often used a police scanner to help keep a watch for authorities, prosecutors claim. Cesari, who made posts on Instagram trying to recruit others to join the ring, also allegedly robbed a railroad car full of beer at gunpoint in Queens, New York, last April, prosecutors claim. 

"That dangerous and disruptive conduct — sometimes allegedly accompanied by the threat of violence — has left several beverage distribution and railroad companies ailing," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement on Wednesday. 

If convicted, the men, whose ages range from 27 to 40, face between five and 20 years in prison.

Corona, a pale lager owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, began at a brewery in Mexico City in 1922. It's now sold in 180 countries and is one of the top selling beers in the U.S.

Modelo Especial, a pilsner-style lager that began nearly 100 years ago in Mexico, was bought by Constellation Brands from Anheuser-Busch InBev in 2013. 

Sales of Modelo spiked last summer when sales of top-selling beer Bud Light plummeted amid a social media controversy with trans rights activist Dylan Mulvaney. For a brief period last year, Modelo became the nation's top selling beer brand. 

In:
• Crime
• Beer

Khristopher J. Brooks

Khristopher J. Brooks is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch. He previously worked as a reporter for the Omaha World-Herald, Newsday and the Florida Times-Union. His reporting primarily focuses on the U.S. housing market, the business of sports and bankruptcy.

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