BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — A Stratford man who was part of a car theft ring has been sentenced to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his role in a theft of a Porsche Panamera that involved a pursuit in Rhode Island and ended in a multi-car crash 24 hours later in Stratford.
Edwin Cordero, 21, of Stratford, was sentenced in Bridgeport on Monday.
Officials said Cordero was a member of a group that stole numerous vehicles, primarily from upscale neighborhoods. Authorities said the members of the ring would go “car-checking” or “jigging,” attempting to open the door of a vehicle and, if it opened, steal the vehicle and valuables inside. "Once the thieves take the cars, they sell, trade or pawn any items of value found in the cars and sell or 'rent' the stolen cars to other criminals."
Officials described a series of thefts, crashes and pursuits that started on December 1, 2020, when they said Cordero and Christopher Mulkern stole a Porsche Panamera from a residence in Westport. Shortly after midnight on December 2, law enforcement in Westerly, Rhode Island, identified the stolen Porsche and attempted to stop it. The Porsche drove recklessly, at speeds of at least 86 mph, between Rhode Island and Connecticut, and evaded police who were forced to terminate the pursuit.
About four hours later, officials said Cordero, Mulkern and others used the stolen Porsche to steal a Dodge Challenger from a residence in Milford. On the evening of December 2, Stratford Police spotted the Porsche, driven by Mulkern with Cordero as a passenger. As they were being chased, Mulkern hit a car that stopped at a red light at an intersection, drove up on the sidewalk and through the red light, and then hit a second vehicle, flipping it onto its roof. Mulkern drove the damaged Porsche onto I-95 into Bridgeport, where he and Cordero were captured as they tried to enter another stolen Audi A4 that was parked on Gregory Street. A search of the stolen Audi revealed approximately 13 key fobs for other vehicles, and a search of the Porsche revealed five cell phones. In addition, Cordero possessed a key fob for the stolen Dodge Challenger, which was subsequently located parked on Main Street in Bridgeport, and Mulkern possessed two stolen credit cards.
On September 8, 2021, Cordero pleaded guilty to one count of transportation of a stolen vehicle.
Mulkern pleaded guilty to the same offense and, on January 3, was sentenced to 48 months of imprisonment.
Cordero and Mulkern have agreed to pay $75,198.45 in restitution to at least seven owners of vehicles they stole and/or damaged.
Doug Stewart is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
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