JFK cargo thief pleads guilty to designer cargo heist

One of the main defendants in a case brought against six people accused of  running an organised cargo theft operation at JFK International Airport in New York has pleaded guilty to the charges.

David Lacarriere (34) – a former JFK trucker – has admitted criminal possession of stolen property in the first degree for his involvement in the theft of more than $4m-worth of designer goods at JFK last May.

He was caught holding $2.5m in Gucci and Chanel designer gear – part of a theft that involved forging air cargo shipment receipts to gain access to an import/export cargo warehouse on the airport grounds.

A co-conspirator impersonated a truck driver and presented forged documents to gain access to the facility.

Jewellery, hand bags, ready-to-wear clothes, sneakers, handbags and other accessories were taken in the raid, and investigators traced Lacarriere and his co-conspirators to a non-operational beauty salon believed to be used as a stash house for the stolen goods.

All told, police recovered more than 3,000 authentic Gucci items – clothes, handbags and other accessories. They also recovered just over 1,000 authentic Chanel products, including purses, jewellery, sunglasses, and shoes.

Lacarriere – who was discovered hiding in a closet at the premises – is due for sentencing on October 26 and faces a prison term of between 5.5 and 11 years.

He and two other men – Gary McArthur and Oscar Asencio – have also been accused of an earlier theft at JFK involving $800,000-worth of Prada products.

"JFK airport, an international trade hub, must be secure for companies that transport vital air cargo to our region – especially during the height of this healthcare pandemic – when our city relied on air cargo for food and medical supplies," said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.