A New York robbery crew that targeted drug runners hit the jackpot
late last year, netting $500,000 in cash after tracking a targeted
criminal’s car — with a hidden Apple Watch, new court documents show.
The seven-person crew based in the Hudson Valley pulled off the
major score in January 2020 after their alleged leader, 30-year-old
Darren Lindsay, bought an Apple Watch and linked it to his AT&T
account, according to federal prosecutors in papers filed Tuesday.
The thieves put the watch underneath the bumper of a car that
belonged to a drug-runner they suspected was flush with cash, the
documents say.
The suspects then tailed their mark, who was not identified, from
Orange County to a hotel parking lot in Hartford, Conn., the feds said.
A New York robbery crew that targeted drug runners posed for photos in front of stacks of the cash they swiped.DZolkind
“All of this information is supported by detailed cellsite location
data, including [from] his Apple Watch and the phones of the defendant,”
prosecutors wrote.
After the crew tracked down the car, one of them smashed its back
window with a gun while looking for the loot but found nothing,
authorities said. Two other suspects then staked out the ride overnight,
but did not see their target, the feds said.
The next day, Jan. 20, 2020, Lindsay and other members of his squad
returned to the garage and spotted the victim, according to prosecutors.
They allegedly grabbed him and forced him into their car, according
to the feds. A gun Lindsay was carrying went off twice during the
abduction as he struggled with the victim, although no one was hit by
the bullets, prosecutors said.
The crew discussed killing the robbery victim but ultimately decided to cut him loose.DZolkind
Two of the handguns that were recovered.DZolkind
The suspects roughed up the victim in the car and swiped his phone,
wallet and a key to his hotel room, according to prosecutors. The crew
discussed killing the victim in the car but ultimately decided to cut
him loose near New Britain, Conn., authorities said.
One of the crew members, a woman named Indigo Grant, later walked
into the victim’s hotel room using the stolen key — and swiped a bag
stuffed with $500,000 in cash, prosecutors said.
The crew then headed back to Middletown, New York, where they
divvied up their profits — and even posed for photos in front of stacks
of the cash, the feds said.
Members of the crew were busted and indicted in July for a string of
alleged robberies from 2019 to 2020, including the $500,000 heist,
prosecutors said. Lindsay pleaded not guilty to the charges, court
records show.
A gun belonging to one of the alleged thieves went off twice during the abduction of the drug runner.DZolkind
Details of the huge score were not made public until Tuesday, when
prosecutors explained them in a letter filed in the case, urging a judge
to keep Lindsay locked up pending trial.
Prosecutors claimed Lindsay has access to a number of handguns and
included photos of the weapons recovered from his cellphone as proof.
A lawyer for Lindsay, John Wallenstein, declined comment to The Post
on Tuesday, saying, “We will litigate the case in court, not the
newspapers.”
Grant’s lawyer, Ilana Haramati, said in a statement, “Ms. Grant is a
mother of three, small business owner, and sole provider to her family.
“She is not guilty of any criminal conspiracy to rob anyone and was not involved in any robbery.”
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