Randy Woods, of Wyandanch, and Dwayne Jones, of Central Islip, charged in theft of rims, tires
Two Long Island men have been charged in the theft of rims and tires from 114 vehicles parked at residences and businesses across Suffolk County over a 15-month period, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said Wednesday.
Randy Woods, 37, of Wyandanch, and Dwayne Jones, 45, of Central Islip, allegedly sold the stolen car parts on digital platforms like Facebook Marketplace and Instagram, the district attorney said. The alleged thefts caused an estimated $500,000 in property damage, according to a news release.
“They were going to homeowners' driveways, car dealerships, hotel parking lots, basically anywhere cars were being parked, and they were coming in the middle of the night, stealing the tires and rims off the cars and leaving the cars without four tires, usually on cinder blocks,” Tierney said.
The alleged thefts occurred between July 2022 and October 2023, when one of the two suspects was arrested in a separate matter, the district attorney said. The locations ranged from the Nassau County line east to Yaphank, according to a map of locations provided by the district attorney's office.
Woods and Jones, who were charged in a 190-count indictment, became suspects in the case after Suffolk police received a tip, officials said.
The duo often set out looking for items specifically requested by customers and also focused on Honda vehicles, Tierney said. An investigation into customers who were doing business with Woods and Jones is ongoing, the district attorney said.
Woods was charged with 34 counts of grand larceny, 34 counts of auto stripping and misdemeanor conspiracy, court records show. He was arraigned Tuesday before State Supreme Court Justice John Collins and held on $100,000 cash bail or $1 million bond. He also has unrelated weapons and strangulation charges pending, according to the news release.
Woods' attorney, Christopher Gioe, of Hauppauge, could not be immediately reached for comment.
Jones, who Tierney said has ties to street gangs, is currently serving a 6-month jail sentence in Bergen County, New Jersey, for a conviction involving the theft of rims there. He has not yet been brought back to New York to face the new charges. He will eventually be arraigned on 73 grand larceny charges, 75 counts of auto stripping and misdemeanor conspiracy.
Attorney Robert Macedonio, of Islip Terrace, said he expects his client will be arraigned next month.
“We will enter a plea of not guilty and I look forward to reviewing all the evidence and seeing how they intend to prove their case,” Macedonio said.
As repeat felony offenders, the two men face a possible maximum sentence of 25 years to life on the charges, Tierney said.
Jones has prior felony convictions dating back to 1997 for drugs, weapons and other automobile-related offenses, according to state prison records. He most recently served three years at Fishkill Correctional Facility in upstate Beacon for a grand larceny and auto stripping conviction and was on parole at the time of the newly alleged thefts, Division of Parole records show.
Woods’ felony history includes prison stints on drugs, weapons and assault charges, prison records show.
The indictment shows how investigators used text messages the pair sent each other and digital banking transactions to connect them to each of the thefts.
In those text messages, they shared images of cash and spoke openly about their shopping wish lists and meeting places, according to court records.
“There's this persistent thought, even among criminal actors, that if you're selling drugs or you're shooting people you're gonna get scrutiny from the police department, but if you're just selling tires and rims no one's paying attention,” Tierney said. “The message here is that is not the case, at least not in Suffolk County.”
Paul Salguerio, owner of 112 Auto Sales in Medford, which is named as a victim in the indictment, recalled entering work to find tires and rims stolen off eight cars in one night last fall. He said security footage and information shared by police indicated the alleged thieves entered from the rear of the property and had other individuals standing lookout. The business suffered a $40,000 loss, he said.
“It was devastating,” Salguerio told reporters outside his dealership. “It’s amazing they got so many vehicles in one night.”
Two Long Island men have been charged in the theft of rims and tires from 114 vehicles parked at residences and businesses across Suffolk County over a 15-month period, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said Wednesday.
Randy Woods, 37, of Wyandanch, and Dwayne Jones, 45, of Central Islip, allegedly sold the stolen car parts on digital platforms like Facebook Marketplace and Instagram, the district attorney said. The alleged thefts caused an estimated $500,000 in property damage, according to a news release.
“They were going to homeowners' driveways, car dealerships, hotel parking lots, basically anywhere cars were being parked, and they were coming in the middle of the night, stealing the tires and rims off the cars and leaving the cars without four tires, usually on cinder blocks,” Tierney said.
The alleged thefts occurred between July 2022 and October 2023, when one of the two suspects was arrested in a separate matter, the district attorney said. The locations ranged from the Nassau County line east to Yaphank, according to a map of locations provided by the district attorney's office.
Woods and Jones, who were charged in a 190-count indictment, became suspects in the case after Suffolk police received a tip, officials said.
The duo often set out looking for items specifically requested by customers and also focused on Honda vehicles, Tierney said. An investigation into customers who were doing business with Woods and Jones is ongoing, the district attorney said.
Woods was charged with 34 counts of grand larceny, 34 counts of auto stripping and misdemeanor conspiracy, court records show. He was arraigned Tuesday before State Supreme Court Justice John Collins and held on $100,000 cash bail or $1 million bond. He also has unrelated weapons and strangulation charges pending, according to the news release.
Woods' attorney, Christopher Gioe, of Hauppauge, could not be immediately reached for comment.
Jones, who Tierney said has ties to street gangs, is currently serving a 6-month jail sentence in Bergen County, New Jersey, for a conviction involving the theft of rims there. He has not yet been brought back to New York to face the new charges. He will eventually be arraigned on 73 grand larceny charges, 75 counts of auto stripping and misdemeanor conspiracy.
Attorney Robert Macedonio, of Islip Terrace, said he expects his client will be arraigned next month.
“We will enter a plea of not guilty and I look forward to reviewing all the evidence and seeing how they intend to prove their case,” Macedonio said.
As repeat felony offenders, the two men face a possible maximum sentence of 25 years to life on the charges, Tierney said.
Jones has prior felony convictions dating back to 1997 for drugs, weapons and other automobile-related offenses, according to state prison records. He most recently served three years at Fishkill Correctional Facility in upstate Beacon for a grand larceny and auto stripping conviction and was on parole at the time of the newly alleged thefts, Division of Parole records show.
Woods’ felony history includes prison stints on drugs, weapons and assault charges, prison records show.
The indictment shows how investigators used text messages the pair sent each other and digital banking transactions to connect them to each of the thefts.
In those text messages, they shared images of cash and spoke openly about their shopping wish lists and meeting places, according to court records.
“There's this persistent thought, even among criminal actors, that if you're selling drugs or you're shooting people you're gonna get scrutiny from the police department, but if you're just selling tires and rims no one's paying attention,” Tierney said. “The message here is that is not the case, at least not in Suffolk County.”
Paul Salguerio, owner of 112 Auto Sales in Medford, which is named as a victim in the indictment, recalled entering work to find tires and rims stolen off eight cars in one night last fall. He said security footage and information shared by police indicated the alleged thieves entered from the rear of the property and had other individuals standing lookout. The business suffered a $40,000 loss, he said.
“It was devastating,” Salguerio told reporters outside his dealership. “It’s amazing they got so many vehicles in one night.”
Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.
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