Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir Grewal announced today the arrest of KYLE JACKSON (DOB:: 03-06-71) of 288 Highland Avenue, Passaic, New Jersey in relation to his participation as a principal in a racketeering enterprise that was responsible for committing thirty-one (31) residential burglaries in the three month period between November 2015 and January 2016, which occurred in Bergen, Passaic and Union counties. JACKSON is the third suspect arrested in connection to these burglaries and is one of four suspects that are the subject of an indictment unsealed on Wednesday, June 29, 2016, which relates to the overall criminal enterprise. JACKSON’s co-conspirators, ARTUR KOTWICA (DOB:: 03-11-93 of 20 4th Street, Passaic, New Jersey and SHAUN WILDER (DOB:: 03-06-88) of 270 Bishop Court, Old Bridge, New Jersey were arrested in January 2016 after committing burglaries in Maywood (2), Fair Lawn and Hackensack. The fourth defendant, RIAD MALKI (DOB:: 01-17-71) of 132 Midland Avenue, Garfield, New Jersey, is pending arraignment on the indictment.
JACKSON’s arrest is the result of an eight-month investigation by members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Squad under the direction of Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Deputy Chief Robert S. Anzilotti. In November of 2015, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Squad began investigating a series of residential burglaries reported in Bergen and Passaic counties that had similar characteristics. Property stolen from the residences included cash, jewelry, laptops and televisions. In most cases, the pillowcases from the homes were taken and used to carry the stolen proceeds. As a result of these burglaries, local law enforcement agencies began sharing information with one another, and KOTWICA’s name surfaced as a person of interest. Soon, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Squad created a Burglary Task Force consisting of several police departments from the affected towns in Bergen, Passaic and Essex counties. While conducting physical surveillance on KOTWICA, the task force was also able to identify WILDER as an associate and co-conspirator.
As previously reported to the media, on January 4, 2016, detectives from the burglary task force were able to identify residential burglaries committed by the pair in Fair Lawn and Maywood. KOTWICA and WILDER were subsequently arrested without incident in Hackensack, New Jersey. It was later discovered that KOTWICA and WILDER had also burglarized a residence on West Anderson Street in Hackensack prior to their arrest.
As the investigation continued, detectives uncovered a larger criminal enterprise behind the burglary operation which was being run by JACKSON, who had recruited KOTWICA and WILDER and was managing, supervising and financing their ongoing criminal activities. For instance, the investigation uncovered that JACKSON knowingly provided his co-conspirators with the burglary tools and vehicles that were being utilized to commit the burglaries. JACKSON also took possession of the stolen property, which included jewelry, and brought it to one of his “fences” who paid him cash for the property, which JACKSON would then share with his co-conspirators, KOTWICA and WILDER.
The indictment returned on Wednesday, June 29, 2016, consists of thirty-nine (39) counts in all, including, among other charges, thirty-one (31) counts of residential burglary – third degree offenses, one-count of Racketeering, a second degree offense, one count of Conspiracy, a second degree offense, a one count of Theft, a second degree offense, one count of Fencing-Dealing in Stolen Property, a second degree offense, and charges relating to the theft of a handgun during the course of one of the burglaries.
KOTWICA, WILDER and JACKSON, are all currently lodged in the Bergen County Jail.
Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Grewal states that these charges are merely accusations and that the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Acting Prosecutor Grewal would also like to thank the following law enforcement agencies that assisted in the apprehension of JACKSON, specifically the Hasbrouck Heights Police Department and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Department.
CHARGE INFORMATION FORM
DEFENDANT: KYLE JACKSON DOB:: 03/06/1971
LAST KNOWN ADDRESS: 288 HIGHLAND AVENUE, APT 2, PASSAIC, NJ
MARITAL STATUS: SINGLE
OCCUPATION: UNEMPLOYED
ARREST INFORMATION
DATE & TIME OF ARREST: 06/30/2016 10:00 PM
PLACE OF ARREST/TOWN: HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, NJ
CHARGE AND STATUTE CITATIONS
N.J.S.A. 2C:41-2 – ONE (1) COUNT OF RACKETEERING, A SECOND DEGREE CRIME.
N.J.S.A. 2C:5-2 – ONE (1) COUNT OF CONSPIRACY, A SECOND DEGREE CRIME.
N.J.S.A. 2C:20-7.1 – ONE (1) COUNT OF FENCING-DEALING IN STOLEN PROPERTY, A SECOND DEGREE CRIME.
N.J.S.A. 2C:20-3 – ONE (1) COUNT OF THEFT OF MOVEABLE PROPERTY, A SECOND DEGREE CRIME.
N.J.S.A. 2C:20-3/2C:20-2b(2)(b)/2C:2-6 – ONE (1) COUNT OF THEFT OF HANDGUN, A THIRD DEGREE CRIME.
N.J.S.A. 2C:18-2/2C:2-6 – THIRTY-FOUR (31) COUNTS OF BURGLARY, EACH A THIRD DEGREE CRIME.
ARRAIGNMENT INFORMATION
ARRAIGNMENT DATE: 07/01/16 1:30 PM
JUDGE: HONORABLE SUSAN J. STEELE, P.J.S.C.
BAIL AMOUNT & CONDITIONS: $500,000.00, NO 10% OPTION
PRESENT STATUS: REMAND TO THE BERGEN COUNTY JAIL
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