A relentless young thief who told authorities he has stolen at least 70 cars , crashed many of them and who recently was released from prison for car theft, was spared a return on yet another car theft charge Monday in order to participate in a rehabilitation program. Federal prosecutors argued that 23-year-old Edwin Cordero, of Bridgeport, who has admitted stealing cars since he was a young teen, should be imprisoned for five years on his latest car theft charge because he admitted committing the crime five months after he was released from a two and one-half year federal prison sentence — for stealing cars. Federal authorities have said Cordero and others like him have been involved for years in what has become known as “car-checking,” “jigging,” and “jugging” — prowling affluent beach communities, usually, after midnight, for luxury cars in which the owners have left, keys, fobs and valuables.
Youths involved in aggressive auto thefts occasionally find more cars in a single night than they are able to drive away, so they take the key fobs and plot locations on cellphone map applications in order to return. Once they have the cars, prosecutors said the thieves “sell, trade or pawn” anything of value found in the cars, and then rent or sell the cars to others for use in new crimes, according to information presented in court..
In recent years, crimes committed by then teen’s such as Cordero have been part of a debate in the state courts and the legislat.