Two New York men have been arrested on federal charges after allegedly robbing a Manhattan jewelry store at gunpoint of more than $150,000 worth of valuables while masquerading as NYPD officers.
Ismael Igartua, of Queens, and Jose Rodriguez, of The Bronx, both aged 59, are suspected of ransacking the Samaa K Jewelry store on 92nd Street on Saturday afternoon amid ongoing George Floyd protests.
They were apprehended a short time later at a nearby subway station after real police officers noticed one of the suspects wearing a bulletproof vest.
Ismael Igartua, of Queens, and Jose Rodriguez, of The Bronx, both aged 59, have been charged in federal court with robbing this jewelry store on 92nd Street at gunpoint on Saturday
‘The defendants’ alleged scheme — impersonating NYPD officers and asking to check the victim’s firearm due to recent incidents of looting — took advantage of uncertain conditions in our community, preying on the fears of a small business owner and his trust in law enforcement,’ US Attorney Geoffrey Berman said in a statement.
Igartua and Rodriguez appeared before a judge on Monday and were formally charged with conspiracy, robbery, brandishing a firearm and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to a criminal complaint, the incident began unfolding shortly before 1.30pm on Saturday when Igartua and Rodriguez, both dressed as NYPD officers from the 19th Precinct, asked to be buzzed into the jewelry store.
‘The Robbers were wearing, among other things, medical masks, gloves, and what appeared to be bulletproof vests underneath their clothes, and one of the Robbers was wearing what appeared to be an NYPD detective badge,’ the document states.
After the store owner unlocked the door for the bogus cops, they asked to see his gun and permit, claiming that, due to the recent looting of businesses in New York, firearms were at risk of being stolen.
Once the store owner handed over his firearm to the accused robbers, they took possession of it, pulled out their own guns and restrained the victim with zip ties.
One of the bandits was quoted as telling the tied-up store owner: ‘this is a stick-up, mother******.’
The thieves attempted to access a cash register, but were unsuccessful. Then they found a key to a safe, opened it and removed jewelry valued at $150,000-$165,000, which they place inside two bags.
After striking the restrained store owner, the robbers fled on foot with their loot, running northbound.
According to the complaint, the jewelry store owner raised the alarm and called the police, which arrived at the scene about 10 minutes later.
Based on the victim’s description of the suspects, officers managed to quickly track down both Igartua and Rodriguez at a subway station a few blocks from the crime scene.
Igartua was said to be wearing an NYPD patch and a fake bulletproof vest. He and Rodriguez were found to be in possession of guns, ammunition, handcuffs and the jewelry stolen from the store.
The owner of the ransacked business was brought to the subway station five minutes later and positively identified the suspects as the men who had just robbed him, according to the complaint.
Both Igartua and Rodriguez have past criminal records in the State of New York.
According to the complaint, Igartua, who has multiple aliases, was convicted in June 1988 of first-degree burglary.
In September of that year, Rodriguez was convicted of second-degree attempted burglary.
If found guilty at trial of all the federal charges against them, the pair could face up o a life in prison.