Car Thief Sentenced Publisher: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Connecticut Date: 12 August 2024 Subjects: American Government , Crime

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that EDWIN CORDERO, 23, formerly of Stratford and Bridgeport, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to approximately 11 months of imprisonment, time already served, followed by three years of supervised release, for possessing a stolen vehicle and for violating the conditions of his supervised release from a prior conviction related to the theft of stolen vehicles.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 18, 2022, Cordero was sentenced in Bridgeport federal court to 30 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for his role in an auto theft ring.  The investigation revealed that Cordero and others stole numerous motor vehicles, and used the stolen vehicles to travel throughout Connecticut and to neighboring states to steal other vehicles and the valuables inside, including credit cards, cellular telephones, and firearms.  He was released from federal prison in March 2023.

On August 8, 2023, a 2016 lnfiniti Q50 and a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado were reported stolen from a residence in Westerly, Rhode Island.  The Silverado was located shortly thereafter near Exit 89 on I-95 South in Groton.  The vehicle was unoccupied and appeared to have run out of gas.  On August 13, 2023, a victim of the auto thefts contacted law enforcement to report that an iPhone that was in the Infinity Q50 when it was stolen was still being backed up to the iCloud account associated with the phone.  A review of the iCloud account revealed photos and videos taken after the theft of the Q50.  The photos include an image of Cordero with a pistol on his lap, an image of an individual posing on the hood of another stolen car parked near Cordero’s Bridgeport residence, and images of vape pens, cigarettes, bottles of alcohol, and marijuana.

Cordero was arrested by Bridgeport Police on August 14, 2023, after he and others attempted to flee from the Q50 after crashing it into multiple cars on Success Avenue in Bridgeport.  A search of a fanny pack Cordero possessed revealed various controlled substances.  Investigators subsequently found three bags that Cordero had attempted to hide after the crash.  The bags contained numerous vape pens and an unopened bottle of liquor.

Cordero, who was released after his state arrest, has been detained since his federal arrest on August 29, 2023.  On May 22, 2024, he pleaded guilty to possession of a stolen motor vehicle.

Judge Bolden ordered Cordero to pay $21,336.59 in restitution.  Cordero also has a restitution order of $75,198 from his prior federal case.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Gang Task Force, the Connecticut State Police, the Bridgeport Police Department, and the Westerly (R.I.) Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Ruff.

Updated August 12, 2024