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55 arrested in Queens jet ski operation: DA

By Bryan Schwartzman

While Queens is not normally thought of as a center for water sports, a waterfront home and a jet ski dealership in Howard Beach served as a haven for a major theft operation over the last four years, the Queens district attorney, state and federal officials said.

A 17-month-long investigation by the Police Department has yielded 55 indictments for insurance fraud and theft, DA Richard Brown told a news conference Dec. 8 at his Kew Gardens office.

The water craft were mostly stolen from the Howard Beach and Sheepshead Bay area and were eventually shipped to Puerto Rico for resale, said Brown, standing beneath a bright yellow jet ski and surrounded by federal, state, and local authorities.

Kim Aielo, 21 formerly of Howard Beach who now lives in Brooklyn was charged with coordinating the theft of the 55 craft. According to a news release, the owners of Cross Bay Honda Suzuki, Michael Cirasola, 41, of Oceanside and Salvatore Cirasola, 32, of West Hempstead were charged with enterprise corruption.

Brown said seven other defendants were charged with enterprise corruption and face up to 25 years in prison. In addition 45 other defendants face insurance fraud charges and up to seven years in prison.