Two Queens contractors were arrested by officers from the Port Authority Police Department on Saturday for allegedly stealing copper wire from a warehouse at JFK Airport.
Anildat Arnold, 46, of 114th Street in South Ozone Park, and Vejai Ramsarup, 54, of 214th Street in Queens Village, were separately arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on Tuesday on a six-count criminal court complaint charging them with grand larceny, burglary, and criminal possession of stolen property for allegedly stealing approximately 1,100 feet of copper cable wire valued at more than $70,000. The defendants were busted after they tried to steal an additional 150 feet of wire from the warehouse.
According to the charges, in early February, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey began an investigation to determine the whereabouts of missing thick copper cable wire that was stored inside a JFK warehouse building within the Port Authority’s electrical maintenance shop. The area was locked up and secured by chain link fencing. Investigators set up video surveillance and marked the spools on copper wire. On three separate occasions between Feb. 15 and March 8, Arnold and Ramsarup, who were employed by a Port Authority contractor and were wearing their work uniforms, approached a restricted area at the airport. Ramsarup allegedly climbed a ladder to enter the fenced-in area of the warehouse, cut lengths of copper wire and passed the wire to Arnold, who was on the other side of the fence. Ramsarup then climbed back over the fence and left the area with Arnold.
They allegedly took approximately 240 feet of wire on Feb. 15, 634 feet on March 1, and 228 feet on March 8.
On March 22, at approximately 2:30 p.m., Port Authority investigators were on location, watching a live feed of the surveillance cameras, when the defendants arrived at the warehouse storage building.
As investigators watched, Ransarup allegedly used a ladder to climb the chain link fence surrounding the locked storage area and passed cut lengths of copper cable wire to Arnold. Investigators moved in and interrupted the two men, catching them before they could remove the 150 feet of copper cable from the airport to sell for profit.
“As alleged, these defendants were intimately familiar with the layout of JFK as contractors and used their access to steal more than 1,100 feet of expensive copper wire meant for important construction projects as the Port Authority rebuilds the airport,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “The defendants used a ladder to gain access to a secure area at least three times in a three-week period to remove the copper.”
She thanked the Port Authority Office of the Inspector General Investigators and the Port Authority Police Department.
“We take our responsibility extremely seriously to protect the traveling public and infrastructure that supports them,” Port Authority Inspector John Gay said. “A core part of that mission is protecting the resources that keep our facilities up and running. Our team moved quickly to investigate the theft and apprehend the suspects, and we’re grateful for our strong partnership with the Queens District Attorney’s office to bring those responsible to justice.”
Judge Maria Gonzalez ordered Arnold to return to court on April 23, and Judge Glenda M. Hernandez ordered Ramsarup to return to court on May 1. They each face 5 to 15 years in prison if convicted.
“Thanks to our partners at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, these workers were apprehended and will now be held to account,” Katz said.
