A founding member of the "James Bond Gang" burglary crew that targeted wealthy communities for decades faces new charges in connection with dozens of break-ins across northern New Jersey, authorities said Thursday.
Bruce Anderson, 48 HACKENSACK - A founding member of the "James Bond Gang" burglary crew that targeted wealthy communities for decades faces new charges in connection with dozens of break-ins across northern New Jersey, authorities said Thursday.
Bruce "Cap" Anderson, 48, of Jamaica, New York, was taken into custody Tuesday on charges of fencing and complicity to commit fencing, according to Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli. He remains held in a New York City detention center, pending extradition proceedings.
Anderson's arrest emerged from a prosecutor's office investigation launched in February 2014 into a string of break-ins around Bergen County, Molinelli said. Detectives soon linked more than two dozen burglaries in affluent sections of Bergen, Morris and Somerset counties.
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The burglary crew carefully picked their targets, looking for large homes with expensive cars in the driveway, prosecutors allege.
"The residences were also located in or adjacent to a cul-de-sac and attacked on weekdays in the early evening hours," Molinelli said in a statement. "Entry to the residences was often gained by forcing open the front doors."
Once inside, the thieves went to master bedrooms and grabbed jewelry, cash and other valuables, Molinelli added. They often stuffed the stolen loot into pillowcases.
In an apparent attempt to blend in, Anderson helped his co-conspirators rent expensive cars to use in the burglaries, according to authorities. He is also accused of fencing the stolen goods and committing burglaries himself.
Molinelli also announced a 24-count indictment charging others in connection with the alleged burglary scheme.
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Charged in the indictment was David Tadjiev, a fence operating out of New York's Diamond District, who paid cash for the crew's haul, authorities said. Jamelle Singletary, Lawal Erskine, Jamaal Sermon and Janay Cole were also named in the indictment and arrested last year.
Investigators have described Anderson as an member of the original "James Bond Gang" that formed in the 1980s and given the nickname by law enforcement for allegedly using luxury vehicles to flee police.
The 007 label has persisted as new alleged burglars work with some key figures in the original case.
Anderson has a history of arrests, records show. He was last in state prison on a burglary charge from Oct. 2003 to Nov. 2005, according to state Department of Corrections.
Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
