#NYC gang members busted in ride-share robbery scam: DA

Four gang members have been busted in a ride-share scheme that targeted more than 50 drivers and netted over $6,500, authorities said.

Their indictment was unsealed as part of a 30 Block Crew takedown linking the gang members to a Bronx car-dealership shooting, pandemic unemployment scam and a dozen illegal guns.

Daijon Crawford, 21, Aaron Heredia, 21, Zykeith Fearon, 21, and Kelechi Ogidi, 21, were indicted in Manhattan Supreme Court after allegedly arranging an “extensive high-tech scheme” in which the riders robbed their Uber or Lyft drivers starting in May 2020, according to District Attorney Cy Vance Jr.

The crew would book rides with destinations right next to their pick-up spots, according to the Manhattan DA.

When the driver pointed out the issue, one of the men would then ask the driver if they could use their phone to call a friend for the right address, while another would distract the operator, authorities said.

The crew would then transfer the driver’s in-app earnings to their bank account, officials said.

The investigation into the scheme also revealed that the four men, along with Akeyle Baker, 22, posted fraudulent money orders on social media, authorities said. Investigators later uncovered that the money orders were purchased with more than $300,000 in pandemic-relief unemployment dough from nine states.

The investigation, which included the Bronx DA’s office and NYPD, also yielded 12 illegal firearms and $100,000 in cash, authorities said.

Crawford, Heredia, Fearon and Baker were charged last week in the shooting of two innocent people at a Bronx car dealership.

“As alleged, members of 30 Block did not limit their pandemic crimes to stealing from essential workers or plundering unemployment funds meant to be a lifeline for the most vulnerable – they also helped drive a surge of gun violence in what would become a very bloody summer,” Vance said in a statement.