SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY – Two organized theft rings accused of stealing more than half a million pounds of donated clothing from charity bins across Suffolk County have been dismantled following a long-term investigation that led to 16 arrests and 98 felony charges, authorities announced Wednesday.
District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said the defendants face charges including grand larceny, burglary, and conspiracy in connection with roughly 70 thefts committed between November 2024 and September 2025. Investigators recovered about 25,000 pounds of stolen clothing and seized 14 vehicles allegedly used in the scheme.
According to prosecutors, the thefts were carried out by two separate criminal organizations led by Alfredo Perez, 67, of Copiague, and Manuel Cabrera, 62, of Lindenhurst. Both men allegedly employed crews of runners who worked overnight shifts raiding donation bins belonging to multiple charities, including the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
Clothing stolen, sold for profit
Investigators said Perez’s group used Ford Econoline vans to steal donations from bins across Suffolk County, later selling roughly 285,000 pounds of clothing to a used clothing exporter in Nassau County for more than $100,000. Cabrera’s crew allegedly carried out a similar operation, selling approximately 280,000 pounds of stolen clothing for $90,000 in profit.
When police executed search warrants and surveillance operations, they found that crew members would climb inside donation bins through the drop slots, pass bags of clothing to accomplices outside, and flee in waiting vans.
Coordinated arrests across Suffolk County
Perez and Cabrera were arrested and arraigned alongside 14 co-defendants, including multiple runners and independent thieves accused of unrelated bin burglaries. Some defendants remain in custody, while others were released under New York’s bail laws pending court appearances.
Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon Jr. called the theft “an exploitation of community generosity,” while Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said the investigation demonstrates the power of interagency cooperation.
The U.S. Secret Service, which assisted in the probe, said the theft rings represent “fraud schemes affecting the entire Long Island community.”
Case led by Major Crime Bureau
Assistant District Attorney Carlos J. Benitez II of the Major Crime Bureau is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Suffolk County Police Department, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Secret Service.
District Attorney Tierney said the arrests send a clear message: “You cannot steal donations meant for charity in Suffolk County and repurpose them for your own personal gain.”
