By Forum Staff
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz recently announced that contractors Anildat Arnold and Vejai Ramsarup have been charged with stealing copper cable from a warehouse at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Arnold, 46, of South Ozone Park, and Ramsarup, 54, of Queens Village, were separately arraigned on six-count criminal court complaints charging each with grand larceny in the second degree, four counts of burglary in the third degree and one count of criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree.
According to the charges, in early February the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey began an investigation to determine the whereabouts of missing thick copper cable wire. The copper was stored inside of a Kennedy Airport warehouse building within the Port Authority’s electrical maintenance shop. This area was locked up and secured by chain-link fencing. Investigators set up video surveillance and marked the spools of copper wire.
On three separate occasions between Feb. 15 and March 8, Arnold and Ramsarup, who were employed by a Port Authority contractor and were wearing their work uniforms, approached a restricted area at the airport.
Ramsarup allegedly climbed a ladder to enter the fenced in area of the warehouse, cut lengths of copper wire and passed the wire to Arnold, who was on the other side of the fence. Ramsarup then climbed back over the fence and left the area with Arnold.
They allegedly took approximately 240 feet of wire on February 15; 634 feet on March 1; and 228 feet on March 8. The wire was valued at more than $70,000.
On March 22, at approximately 3:30 p.m., Port Authority investigators were on location, watching a live feed of the surveillance cameras, when the defendants arrived at the warehouse storage building.
As investigators watched, Ramsarup allegedly used a ladder to climb the chain-link fence surrounding the locked storage area and passed cut lengths of copper cable wire to Arnold. Investigators interrupted the two men, catching them before they could remove the 150 feet of copper cable from the airport to sell for profit.
“As alleged, these defendants were intimately familiar with the layout of JFK as contractors and used their access to steal more than 1,100 feet of expensive copper wire meant for important construction projects as the Port Authority rebuilds the airport. The defendants used a ladder to gain access to a secure area at least three times in a three-week period to remove the copper,” Katz said. “Thanks to our partners at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, these workers were apprehended and will now be held to account.”
Port Authority Inspector General John Gay added, “We take our responsibility extremely seriously to protect the traveling public and the infrastructure that supports them. A core part of that mission is protecting the resources that keep our facilities up and running. Our team moved quickly to investigate the theft and apprehend the suspects, and we’re grateful for our strong partnership with the Queens District Attorney’s Office to bring those responsible to justice.”
If convicted, Arnold and Ramsarup face up to five to 15 years in prison.
